


Doctors

by Fanna Casat Letrange (fannacasat26)



Category: Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: BFFs, Backstory, Character Study, Depression, F/M, Female Characters, Female Friendship, Friendship, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, POV Female Character, POV Third Person, Rare Pairings, Sports
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2017-11-19 09:17:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 39,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/571687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fannacasat26/pseuds/Fanna%20Casat%20Letrange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story begins long before Tally is born.  It takes place in her city, though.  It's just about a girl named Min and her life.  But deep inside, she is actually very troubled.  The more you learn about her, the more you'll love her...or hate her.  Starts off slow, gets way better, I promise!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

**Part I: Growing Up**

“So pugnacious, you uglies.  Well, you’ll be growing up soon.”

\- Dr. Cable

As they walked closer to the school, the sound of screaming grew louder.

Minerva's heart beat faster, the breakfast she had consumed just minutes before making her feel almost ill. She clutched her mother's hand tighter.

She had never been around so many other children before. Of course, she had seen kids walk by as she was doing now, but she had never acknowledged them very much. She had always been content to stay at home and play by herself. Now, on her first day of littlie school, Minerva finally had to face the inevitable and interact with them.

The hut where she would be attending school grew in front of them. Nervous thoughts flitted through her juvenile brain: What should she say to make friends? Would they think she looked weird? Her mother had styled her long, dark hair in its usual high pigtails that morning. Minerva had never paid them much attention before, but now the curls brushing against her face irritated her almost to hysterics. Was she too old for them? What would the other kids' hair look like? She looked down at her outfit again. Bright green pants, and a shirt with horizontal stripes of yellow and red. Really, why did littlies have to wear such ridiculous clothing?

Still, Minerva was excited to go to school. She had been getting bored at her parent's house lately, and her mind thirsted for knowledge. Always curious, she had practically died of excitement when she learned that they taught reading at school. Soon, she would be learning things herself, and her inquisitiveness would stop irritating her parents so much.

Minerva and her parents now stood at the edge of the crowd outside the school. She counted nine other children, all screaming and running, apparently playing some sort of game. _Nine other children!_ She had gotten here early, and she still was the last one to show up! Her anxiety intensified even more.

But her parents were hugging and kissing her goodbye already, saying such meaningless things as, "Bye sweetheart! Have fun at school!"

"Play with these other children, I'm sure you'll make friends!"

And then they turned and left, leaving Minerva paralyzed.

She observed the other students more closely, relieved to see them all decked out in patterns and colors as garish as her own. They all appeared to be chasing one very plain-looking girl, every single one of them screaming and laughing. It looked like so much fun to Minerva. She loved to be active.

But one child mesmerized her more than all the others. It was the pursued girl. The eight others were running as fast as they could, but they were no match for her. The girl artfully weaved and dodged between them, almost a blur, none of the others even coming close to catching her with her skillfulness. Suddenly, Minerva's heart longed for such athletic prowess.

She was quickly snapped out of her reverie when the girl came hurtling toward her, screaming at the top of her lungs. She grabbed Minerva and hid behind her, shrieking all the while. The sounds set her nerves on edge. She had always been abnormally sensitive to such noises. She seldom raised her voice, and now, all the sounds had frozen her to the spot, with the strange girl still clutching her. She could just make out the girl telling the others that she needed a break, and indeed, Minerva could feel the girl breathing heavily behind her, but every sound seemed like it was very far away. The was girl in front of her now, her lips moving and her face questioning. "What's your name?" seemed to be the question, but whatever sound Minerva tried to make came out a choking noise.

The girl led her away to some trees at the edge of the big space around the school where the others were playing. "I asked you a question, and I want an answer," the girl said, but she was smiling.

Her name. Minerva remembered the question now. Her name. She hated it. She did not want to tell this strange girl. Sometimes, she hated her parents for giving it to her. It was weird, it was strange, nobody had names like that anymore, more than two syllables. "I hate my name. I don't want to tell it," she said. Her voice sounded high and weak.

Unexpectedly, the girl broke into a huge grin. "Well, I hate my name too," she exclaimed. "But I won't tell it to you till you tell me yours."

"I won't. It's weird and it's long."

"So's mine."

In response to Minerva's round blue eyes, the girl said, "I know! We'll play a guessing game! What's it start with?"

"M," she said quietly.

Another goofy smile. "So does mine! What does it end with?"

"A," came the reply.

"Now that's just freaky! Maybe our names are the same."

That possibility excited Minerva, because most people's names were nothing like hers. So she said, in barely a whisper, "It's Minerva."

"What? Say it louder."

"Minerva," she said, terrified at the prospect that the other children would hear.

"Alright, I have to tell you mine now. But it's worse than yours. It's even longer! My name's Maxamilla," she said in a low voice.

And Minerva smiled, because the name really was worse than hers.

But then, the teacher came out of the hut and blew a whistle, and it was time for the school day to begin.


	2. Best Friends Forever

"Shhhhh, he'll hear you!" Minerva hissed as the soccer ball rolled dangerously close to their hiding place behind the tree. More threatening was the ugly who came crashing through the woods to retrieve it. She shrank against the trunk even more, but what would happen if he spotted her, anyway? In a few weeks she would be free of her parents and their rules.

Summer was drawing to a close. Minerva and Maxamilla were both twelve years old and would be starting ugly school come September. She was excited, but characteristically anxious about one thing. Sure, she hung out with other people sometimes, but Minerva was still as antisocial as she was on that first day of littlie school, unlike the more gregarious Max.

Max. She would always be her best friend. The thought of being separated when they started life in Uglyville was too much to bear. Instead, Minerva focused her attention on the game she had been watching with Max, the one that the ugly boy had now rejoined. She relaxed a bit. Both of their parents forbade them to play in the greenbelt, but as their littlie years passed, she and Max had ventured farther and farther, until now the soccer fields of Uglyville were visible beneath the hulking dorms. No silly rule was going to stop Minerva from doing what she wanted to, and that attitude and her love of soccer were two things she and Max had in common.

" _Promise_ me you'll play soccer when we're uglies," Minerva said yet again. "At least that way we'll get to see each other _sometimes_ , when we play against each other." She didn't mention the horrifying possibility of ending up in different dorms, but it was on both of their minds.

Instead of being annoyed by Minerva's repetitiveness, Max was her good-natured self. "Of course I will, Min," she said, smiling, and Minerva could not help smiling back, partly because hearing Max say that again relieved her, and also because it felt so good to hear Max say her nickname. They had both given each other one soon after they had met, to lessen the pain of hearing their horrible names.

The game had started up again, and Min fixed her eyes on it, yet watching the game being played in the shadow of the dorm sent a thrill through her, and her thoughts began to wander. She would soon be one of them, running and chasing the ball, scoring points for her team and hearing them cheer.

Soccer wasn't the only thing that excited her about Uglyville. Although she would never say this out loud, Minerva had loved littlie school because she knew she was the smartest one. She was always the first to raise her hand and knew all the answers. Naturally, she grew bored of it after a while. When she went to ugly school, though, she would finally do some real learning, like history, and, more exciting to Minerva, science. She had always had a burning desire to know both how her own body and the world around her worked, and soon her questions would be answered. Still, this was not what she wanted to learn the most.

Like most littlies, Min and Max made morphos all the time and played games in which they were the scientists on the Pretty Committee, but it was more than a game to Minerva. She often daydreamed that it actually was her sculpting the face, taking an ugly girl and adding subtle touches here and there to make her beautiful. In ugly school, she knew that she would finally learn exactly what they did.

Besides, it was time. Minerva _felt_ ugly, and every time she walked by a mirror she was reminded of that fact. Her dark curls were tangled and wild most of the time these days, and what had once been only a sprinkling of freckles across her nose had multiplied and darkened, spreading all over her face, down her arms and hands, her whole body, it seemed. Also, Minerva had recently begun to shoot up in height. She looked so awkward playing with other littlies, too tall and skinny. She needed to get out of the suburbs.

Max's voice woke her out of this reverie. "I think we should go home now," she said. Indeed, the sun was sinking in the late summer sky, and the trees of the greenbelt were making long shadows. The uglies had all packed up and were going in anyway. "If anyone asks, we were playing in the park this whole time," Max said with a grin.

"Right," said Minerva, returning it. And the two friends walked home together until they needed to each go their separate ways to their own houses.


	3. Practice

Minerva's arm muscles were quivering. Only five more reps…

Finally, the coach blew his whistle, and Minerva collapsed facedown in the grass, getting dirt in her mouth, which didn't even bother her. The scent of crushed grass filled her aching lungs. Pushups were Minerva's least favorite exercise, but as long as she was at soccer, she was happy.

"That last set was too much for you, Freckles?" Min flinched when she heard her ugly nickname, but she turned her head to the left to see Max, panting just as hard, but with a huge grin on her face.

"Feaster!" growled the coach, who never seemed able to say their first names. "Rest time doesn't mean chat time!" Max made a face at him, but Min knew she didn't mean it. As practice drew to a close, the team's patience was waning, but tomorrow they all would be back, eager to please the coach like they completely forgot how tiresome he was.

The soccer field was where Minerva belonged. When she was a new ugly, she had blown the coaches away at tryouts, and was soon elected team captain, even though she was only now a senior. Still, no one questioned her leadership. She was aggressive, the top scorer, yet also soft-spoken and respectful. When she turned pretty in a few months, she would most likely try out for the big teams, playing before the whole city of Columbia. Other uglies traveled from all the other dorms, just to see what Minerva did on the field, even if it meant their own team would lose. A sports addict, she played basketball in the winter, and moved on the court like nobody's business. Soccer was still Minerva's game, though.

To top it all off, Max did end up in the same dorm as Min, and they spent long hours together as friends and teammates. Some people thought Uglyville sucked, but especially now that she was a fifteen-year-old senior, Minerva loved being an ugly.

* * *

After practice, Min took a hot shower and put on a clean dorm uniform. Her dorm's colors happened to be blue and gray, which made the uniform less repulsive to her. A knee length kilt in a plaid composed of those colors, a tee-shirt with blue and gray stripes on it, and a gray microfiber blazer with gold buttons were the standard for girls. Minerva wondered how a simple pattern of lines intersecting at right angles could be so atrocious. When December came around, she could kiss it all goodbye.

Wearing this insult to fashion, Min took the short walk down the hall to Max's dorm. It was filled with other tricky uglies that they knew, most of them on the soccer team as well. The girls were lounging on the bed and anywhere else they could find, discussing the usual topic: boys. Finally, one of them asked the dreaded question.

"So Freckles, who do _you_ like?" Why did the girl's smile seem so hostile? Stammering, Min answered, "I told you: We're all uglies. What's the point? I don't think any of the guys are cute for that exact reason." And that was the entire truth.

"You're not...well, _you_ know...?" and they all collapsed giggling again.

Minerva snorted at them. Even if she was, what did it matter? Everyone knew that homosexuality was just kid stuff, one of those things that the operation fixed. That operation that she would be getting before most of them. They were probably just jealous.

Suddenly, she couldn't stand it anymore. It was all just so _frivolous_. Those feelings of superiority were coming again, just as they always did in school when she was the only one who knew an answer. She was better, smarter than this. Her time as an ugly was drawing to a close. _This_ was how she was spending it? She had a better idea, one that had been bugging her for some time.

Suddenly, Minerva stood up, her voice a little louder and stronger than usual. "Guys, when school starts, we'll be seniors. Some of you will even be turning before me. You know how we all love tricks. And pretties _never_ do stuff like that. Never! So why are you all just talking about guys who will never notice you anyway? I have an idea for something we could do tonight. Tell everyone who you think will be up for it, trick the minders as usual, and meet me at the dam with your boards and some overnight gear. It's time to celebrate our last nights together as uglies."

Silence followed. Minerva was usually quite taciturn, and big groups especially made her nervous. That little speech was probably the most she had ever said in front of this particular group, and it had come out a little meaner-sounding that she would have liked.

Max came to her rescue as usual. "Min's right, everyone. I'm in! Are you?"

One of the girls who looked rather skeptical said, "But where are we going? The ruins, as usual?"

A rare grin slowly spread across Minerva's face. "Nope," she said. "Farther."


	4. Discovery

Once all seven of them had met up at the dam, the group took the usual way to the ruins, crashing through the white water on their tricked boards. "Race you!" screamed Max as she whizzed by. Minerva's blood quickened with the thrill of competition, and she angled her board forward to pick up speed. She passed Max as the rapids ended, but neither of them really cared who won anyway. The friends, which consisted of some girls, some boys, and all soccer players, tucked their boards under their arms for the long hike. All of them being athletic, it seemed to take no time at all. Soon, Min could feel her board begin to rise, gaining purchase from a natural vein of iron that must have been discovered by some tricky uglies years ago.

At the crest of the hill, the ruins spread out below Minerva, glowing under the full moon. A summer breeze rustled through her hair as she took in the view. The ruins were harsh, angular, their crude, boxy forms crumbling with age. And yet, there was beauty there. Minerva loved the ruins because Columbia was just too pretty, too perfect, too clean. The ruins seemed like reality and her own city like a littlie's playhouse. Even though they were centuries old, the buildings' rectangular shapes still thrust themselves proudly into the sky, simple yet elegant. Ironically enough, though, Minerva's favorite one happened to look like it belonged on the skyline of New Pretty Town. A disc-like shape balanced on tall, curvy, spire, all of it topped off by a still-glittering needle.

"Don't lose sight of me," Minerva called, and began to explore some more, darting in and out of ancient windows, the glass long since shattered. In time she had traversed the entire city, and looked behind her and counted, with relief, six other silhouettes. Then, working up all her nerve, Minerva urged her board forward. It felt rock-steady under her feet. "What are you doing?" screamed a voice, but Min ignored it, determined to continue her experiment. No matter how many more yards she went into the evergreen trees below, the board did not fail her. "Come on!" she called. "We've only seen the buildings that are still standing. There's plenty of metal over here." Tentatively, they all followed Minerva out to the shape that had been catching her eye.

It rose above the trees, an elegant, sinuous line. It curved, twisted, and looped, the steel still glinting in the moonlight. It looked to be a sort of track, and in some places brightly colored paint remained. Min looked at Max and grinned. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Max, also smiling, nodded. "Whatever this thing is, it's pure metal. Perfect for...hoverboarding!" The whoops and cheers from the others signified their agreement.

"I'll go first," Min said. She started off slow, then picked up speed as she reached the top of a big hill in the track. She let out a high-pitched scream as her stomach seemed to drop down to her knees, certain she was plummeting to her death. But her board stayed true to the track, her body nearly parallel with the ground as she rounded a big curve. Echoes behind her meant Max and the others must have started following. Minerva pushed her board to its speed limit in order to survive the loop-de-loops, and she was about ready to go back to the beginning of the track and end her ride when suddenly...there wasn't a track anymore. She was falling, _falling_ into a black abyss! Minerva screamed bloody murder, certain that this was the end. She didn't even say good-bye to her parents...then her crash bracelets tugged her violently to a halt. A section of the track had simply been missing, and luckily she had built up enough momentum to make it to the other side. She pulled off the track and collapsed on the ground, heart pounding and filled with adrenaline.

A minute later, she heard the sounds that meant Max must have jumped the gap, and soon enough Max joined her. They waited for the five others, and chattered excitedly for a few minutes about what they were thinking when they came to the break and things like that. Then someone asked, "So Freckles, was that your big plan for tonight?"

Smiling mischievously, she answered, "Actually, it wasn't." Pausing for effect to hear the gasps of her companions, thinking it couldn't possibly get better after what they had gone through, Min said, "I was just thinking, I haven't been to the beach since I was a littlie. And the sea isn't that far, I could see it when I was up high enough. So who's with me?" And not one of them dared to wimp out.

* * *

Minerva had told everyone to bring overnight camping gear, and someone had used their firestarter to make a driftwood bonfire. She collapsed onto her sleeping bag, which was laid out on the cool, moist sand. With Max's warmth beside her and the sound of the ocean and the crackling fire in her ears, Min decided that she had never felt so alive before. Then she fell asleep.

* * *

She awoke to bright sunlight in her eyes and the scream of hovercars filling the air and blowing sand on her.


	5. Operation

It was raining, as usual.

Minerva was shivering in her skirt and thin dorm jacket, but she hoped she wouldn't be kept waiting for long. Her stomach was twisting into uncomfortable knots, and Max sitting next to her wasn't even helping at all. They were on a bench under an awning at the front of their dorm, waiting for the hospital hovercar to come pick Minerva up for her operation. For once, neither of them were saying much to each other.

That morning on the beach, when the wardens had found them, turned out not to be as bad as Minerva had thought it could be. The stern middle pretties had interrogated them all the whole ride home, but Min had been right: they were seniors now, and nobody could really stop them.

"I'm surprised you're not more excited, Min," Max said just then. Min only shrugged indifferently.

Yesterday, Minerva had spent an hour in front of the mirror, studying and scrutinizing every single aspect of her face and body, from the top down, knowing that it would be the last time she would ever be able to do so.

She liked her dark hair, only wished it were straighter so it wouldn't be so messy all the time. At least she would get that much when she turned pretty. And the dark freckles against her pale skin looked absolutely awful, so she wouldn't miss them. Same with her hideous eyebrows. Her small, watery blue-gray eyes had stared harshly back at her in the mirror, looking like two hard chips of ice. Her face was very angular, and she had a huge chin. There really was nothing wrong with her nose. Her teeth would soon be straight and white, but at that moment, she couldn't see them because her thin lips were set in a grim line. Because she had always done sports, there was zero fat that needed to be sucked away. She was thin and lean, with hard muscles and sharply defined bones. And after the operation, people would stop making fun of her for being so flat-chested.

Despite all these imperfections, though, Minerva realized that she liked her face and didn't consider herself to be ugly. She looked fierce and tough on game days, and that was all that mattered. Also, Min was very interesting-looking. All of the old Rusty "races" had since been interbred, so they didn't really exist anymore. For this reason, her pale skin and freckles stood out. And _nobody_ had blue eyes anymore. She was probably just the result of generations of inbreeding, but she still felt special.

So Minerva was a little less than thrilled about getting the operation. The lifestyle of a new pretty didn't excite her that much either. She liked being an ugly, and parties were always torture. She was a rather introverted person and felt awkward at big social gatherings, all loud noises and crowds of bodies. And she hated dancing with a passion.

What else was there to do, though? There were no other options, nowhere to run to. So Minerva didn't resist when the car came. She allowed the driver to flash her eye, hugged Max goodbye, and stepped in.

* * *

At the hospital, Min sat in the waiting room, her big duffel bag balanced on her knees. Her jerseys were the only things in it, kept for sentimental reasons. They were the only clothes that she wanted to keep because one thing was for certain: she would never wear anything plaid again.

After what seemed like an eternity, a female orderly called her name. Minerva got up and followed her down some long white corridors filled with the sterile hospital smell, until they reached a small room with nothing in it except for something that looked like a cross between a couch and a bed, all covered in paper.

The orderly gave one of those radiant middle-pretty smiles and said, "Okay now, sweetie. I need you to take _everything_ off, even that hair tie, and put on that robe." She pointed to a folded square of blue paper on the bed-couch. "You can just leave all your clothes on the floor, or put them in your bag if you want them saved. I'll be right with you." And the door slid closed behind her.

Min undressed and put on the robe, thankful for the orderly's courtesy, but it all seemed pretty pointless to her. The robe was itchy, and they would all be staring at her naked body soon enough anyway. The back of the robe was completely open, fastened with just a tie at her neck, and sitting down on the paper-covered surface wasn't too comfortable. Minerva suddenly realized that she wasn't nervous at all, while most people probably would have been. She knew the details of the operation by heart and placed the utmost trust in the doctors.

Finally, the orderly came back, followed by a small, hovering tray loaded with glistening hypodermic needles. She came over to Minerva and cleaned off the inside of her left elbow with a cotton ball. "Okay now, sweetie," she said, "This'll be over in a second. You'll just have pretty dreams the whole time, and when you wake up, you'll be beautiful." The orderly smiled again and asked her to lay back on the couch. Minerva obliged her. Then the orderly picked up one of the needles. Min realized that she forgot to ask one very important question. "Excuse me, but do you think I could stay in the hospital a couple weeks after I get my operation?"

The orderly looked shocked. "But don't you want to live in New Pretty Town right away?"

"Well, I'm nervous about the swelling..." Suddenly, comprehension showed on the woman's face and she laughed. "Oh, I know the new skin hurts," she said. "Most kids just want to see their other friends and new mansion right away, but if you feel better being in the hospital with some painkillers, it doesn't matter. The end of the year isn't a very busy time for birthdays anyway, for some reason, so we'll have room."

The orderly was right. Today, her birthday, was December twenty-fifth, not a busy time of the year at all. She didn't know any other December birthdays. Most people were born in spring or fall, it seemed.

But Minerva scoffed inwardly at the orderly. She thought she was scared of a little _pain_? Please. Minerva was an athlete. The real reason for her wanting to stay in the hospital was because she did not want anybody to see her new face until the swelling was gone completely. She couldn't bear it if that was everyone's first image of her.

And most importantly, she couldn't bear seeing herself as ugly. The first time she got a good look at her new face, she wanted it to be completely healed. That way, her first impression of it would be an accurate one.

Minerva took a deep breath as the needle slid into her veins.

Then she closed her eyes for the last time as an ugly.


	6. Pretties

**Part II: Victory and Defeat**

"You must be able to withstand the punishment, get up off the ground after each tackle, and have no fear of running again at that same defender who just sent you barreling to the turf. Eventually you'll wear them down."

-Mia Hamm

Blinding white light. That was all she saw.

Minerva blinked her eyes a few times to make the pain go away, but still the only thing she saw was white.

Then she remembered where she was: the hospital. _She was pretty!_ Min turned her head to the left and right, taking in the details of a basic hospital apartment decorated entirely in white. Her vision was in perfect focus, naturally, but she suddenly became very aware of a pain all over the whole surface of her body. Min could feel every wrinkle in the sheets of the hospital bed she was in, and it soon became too much. She sat up, which sent a fresh wave of pain through her. Her skin felt puffy and tender, but when she stretched her arms out and saw them for the first time, they looked normal enough: even skin tone, maybe a little red, and absolutely no freckles! Her nails were perfect. But just as she became tempted to look in the mirror, Min remembered what her swollen face probably looked like, and that stopped her. She had always been a disciplined athlete, and she could wait for two weeks to see her face, especially when she reminded herself that she didn't really want to be pretty. Min would have to sustain herself with the glimpses she caught of her dark and shiny hair.

* * *

It was strange, but Min thought that she would probably miss the hospital and her little white apartment there. It was quiet and peaceful, and never boring due to the presence of a wallscreen. Best of all, she had even met and befriended some of the doctors and talked with them about their work every chance they had. This only intensified her desire to become a cosmetic surgeon one day, a thought that had been with her since she began designing faces as a littlie. Most uglies simply spent years pining for the day when they would be able to move into New Pretty Town. Today, Min would be doing just that, but first, she would meet her parents and friends outside of the hospital. Min climbed out of bed, but before she ordered up a decent outfit from the drab ones the hole in the wall gave her, it was time to look in the mirror.

She had already decided that she wanted to get it over with and see her new self all at once, so Min stripped herself naked. She closed her eyes and changed the wallscreen to a mirror. Then she opened her eyes and gasped.

Deep breaths, Minerva told herself. Just look at it from the bottom up. A delicate little chin. Deliciously full lips curved downward into a pretty pout. Min grimaced, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. The bridge of her nose seemed to curve inward, then turned upward to end in a very pert little point. Her eyes were big and round, outlined in dark and thick lashes, and were the same color as they had been before, but now their gray tones were brought out even more by flecks of silver that sparkled in the harsh hospital lighting. Above that were two perfectly arched eyebrows.

Breaking it down one by one had been a good idea. Now, Min could look at the whole picture. He features were proportioned flawlessly in a pretty heart-shaped face. All around it, her hair tumbled down to the middle of her back (previously it had only been just past her shoulders) in soft waves, thick and lustrous and shiny. The hair was still dark, but where the light hit it, it shone copper. _They had made her into a readhead?_

Her body was a series of luxurious curves. Min just hoped that it was as good at playing soccer as her old one was. Hair, face, and body, when viewed all together, were gorgeous.

In short, she looked nothing like herself.

And yet, she still was unique-looking. Hardly anyone had red hair anymore, and the Pretty Committee seemed to have pushed themselves to the limit when it came to paleness, keeping with her natural coloring. Her skin looked creamy and ivory, and while she was still pissed about having dark red hair, it looked nice with the rest of it.

Presently, a knock came on the door. "Minerva? Everyone is waiting for you outside!" came the too-cheery voice of an orderly. Min threw on some clothes, grabbed the bag of stuff she wanted to keep, and met the woman outside her door. The orderly then led her into an elevator, which traveled down to the main floor, where Min immediately ran out the front doors of the hospital to meet her parents. Her mother screamed and hugged her, and even though Min hated hugs, she let her mother hold her. "You look amazing!" she cried, with tears in her eyes.

"Was my old face that bad?" Min asked, a little bit insulted.

"Well, of course not, honey...It's just that...you're beautiful!" her mother answered, then burst into sobs.

"I look nothing like myself!" Min said, feeling contrary. Then she finally noticed the face standing right next to her, wearing what was probably the hugest smile ever. "Max!" Min screamed. At least _her_ face still looked the same, her warm brown eyes instantly comforting. "Is anyone else here?" Although seeing Max again was amazing, Min was still kind of wondering where the rest of their friends from the soccer team were.

"Oh, they wanted to come, but there's a big basketball game today. I was like, 'Guys, don't you want to go see Min?' and they did of course, but the team really needs their support. Even though they still have Jana, they're doing pretty crappy without you," Max answered, still grinning just like on the day they met. Jana was the star player and team captain of the basketball team, and the coach always talked about what a good team she and Min were on the court. "They all liked your idea of not wanting anyone to see you all puffy, it's awesome, but they still said they would just want to move into New Pretty Town aysap, like me," Max added.

The excuse about their friends Max gave was mildly comforting, but not enough. Minerva hated not being the center of attention, and Max had said that the basketball team sucked without her anyway. Why weren't they here? As usual, she began resenting Jana. Somehow, being captain and star of the soccer team wasn't enough. Minerva wanted it all. All throughout uglyhood, she had felt this way. It was awful, it was wrong, she was supposed to work with her teammates, not see them as enemies that stood in her way.

Distracted by her thoughts, Minerva didn't notice how Max had been staring at her. "Wow. You really don't look like yourself," she said with a touch of sadness. "But you really stand out, with the reddish hair and all. It's great!" Max continued, switching back to the usual smile. As always, Min was so grateful to have a friend who agreed with her so often.

"Well, I had better be getting back, they don't want me gone the whole day," Max said with a touch of nervousness, looking anxiously back at the hovercar which had brought her to the hospital.

"Well, see you in a few months!" Min called back, climbing into another hovercar with her parents. Then they took off, Min furiously waving out the window back at Max, but soon she was lost in the distance. The hovercar began to head towards some place called Grace Kelly Mansion, where Min was supposed to move in.


	7. Championship

If Minerva didn't find a quiet place immediately, she was probably going to faint, or vomit, or do something else unpleasant due to sheer nerves. She quickly strode down the locker room, the chattering sounds of her teammates fading as she passed rows of lockers, toilets, and showers until she found a bench in a secluded corner. Minerva sat on it, hugged her knees to her chest, and put her head down, trying to stay focused on breathing deep. It was no use. The roars coming from the crowd above the underground locker room indicated the mounting excitement, which only twisted Min's stomach into more knots. The locker room was located under the stands of Nefertiti Stadium. At least it was a home game, which made Min happy.

This was the world championship. Somehow, the official soccer people had negotiated that it would take place in this city. There was some kind of rule, but Min couldn't remember it; she could only feel grateful. Her team, the Olympians, had achieved a nearly flawless regular season and then fought their way hard through the playoffs to make it here, with a certain someone scoring most of the goals. Min had made the team easily, of course. At tryouts, the coaches had only stared open-mouthed, then immediately signed her on as one of the starting forwards. Min smiled, remembering that day, as she fingered the fabric of her uniform. The colors were navy, white, and light blue, and the logo was a light blue cloud with a yellow lightning bolt going through it. Min approved of it all. For some reason, things around here were always named after nearby geographical features. The name of her team was derived from a group of mountains, and the name of the city itself, Columbia, came from a river.

"Min! We're getting ready to go out!" called Max. Max was a pretty good soccer player herself, so they ended up on the team together. Minerva's life seemed to be going perfectly so far in the sixteen short years that she had lived. Why wouldn't the Olympians end up the world champions? Min chugged a last bit of water and compulsively tightened her heavy ponytail yet again. Its unusual shade was what made her visible on the field. And the fact that she was usually the player that seemed to be moving the most.

She walked back to join her team in stretching, then they climbed up the stairs and out onto the grass. The crowd went wild, either over the appearance of the team or the finale of the fireworks show. The whole team strutted onto the field with confidence to face their opponents, but tonight everyone would be watching her, Minerva, the rookie, to see how she would perform. The audience was much larger than the hundreds of thousands in the stadium, though. All the feeds would be airing the city's first world championship in decades. The team did that thing where they all put their hands in the circle and shouted, "Olympians!" It was corny, but Min could tolerate that tonight. She walked to her starting position and stood in a half-crouch, every muscle tense, ready to charge at the ball at any moment. The hovercams booted up, prepared to broadcast every detail of the game. And the ref blew the whistle.

**Halftime**

Minerva stumbled down to the locker room, ready to collapse. She had fought hard, but the battle wasn't over yet. The Olympians were down, two to one. Min took a much-needed drink, then listed to the pep talk and strategy from the coach and team captain. Even though it seemed like the break had just started, it was time to get back on the field again.

**Overtime**

The game was all tied up, two to two. There was no way Minerva was going accept defeat. She charged down the field, the other team's defense charging at her, but she was too quick for them all. She snatched the ball away from one of the defenders, who didn't even notice her coming. Min dribbled it down the field, closing in on the goal. She was wide open now. She wound up for the kick, and poured her heart, her soul, her everything into that one shot. The ball sailed through the air, followed by hovercams, straight for the goal. The goalie leapt, but she wasn't quick enough. The ball brushed her fingers, then hit the back of the net. The whistle blew.

Min's eardrums were assaulted with the sound of the screaming crowd. The hovercams descended on her like a flock of hornets, the her team closed in around her, hugging her and screaming. They lifted Min onto their shoulders, and she threw her arms in the air and whooped. Min never acted like that, but she had a good excuse this time. A ref cam over with the trophy, and the team passed it to Min, who lifted it up into the air. Warm tears began coursing down her cheeks. The hovercams gathered around her captured it all. Her face was on the huge screen above the stadium, and on thousands of more wallscreens across Columbia. She was sobbing now, which must have looked quite ridiculous. "Hey guys, can you put me down? I need a moment!" she shouted, then jumped down and sprinted to the locker room. The noise and all the bodies pressed around her had become too much. Min splashed cold water on her face, trying to pull herself together for all the feed interviews which she would inevitably have later tonight. Such an embarrassing display of emotion was rare for her, and she was not used to it.

A few minutes later, Min heard footsteps on the locker room floor. "Minerva? Are you in here?" It was the coach. She ran to meet him. "Have a seat. I need to talk to you," he said.

Min sat down on the bench next to him. "What is it?" she said nervously.

"I know you're overwhelmed with your amazing success. Congratulations, Minerva. You are truly a star player. What you did out there today was historic."

"Um, thank you," she answered, blushing.

"But it's just the beginning. You need to be _extremely_ careful from now on. What you do, what you say, everyone will be watching, even more than before. Even if you don't think anyone is, watch out for hovercams. Keep your personal life as private as possible. I don't want to see a good girl like you destroyed."

"What are you talking about?" Min asked, confusion all over her face.

"What I'm trying to tell you, is..." He took a deep breath and looked at her, his face a mixture of awe and concern. "Minerva, you're famous now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far! I hope you keep going, because it starts getting good now. Don't worry, this story isn't just about soccer. While I am an athlete, I have never played soccer in my life, in fact. I just needed to include it because it seemed to be the only sport in Tally's world, basically. I did do some minimal research on soccer, so if I get anything wrong, tell me!


	8. Bash

The night was unusually cool for summer. A breeze blew, and Minerva shivered, probably due to the fact that her arms, shoulders, chest, and most of her back were completely bare. At least her hair was down, which provided some protection. Minerva wondered what was worse: freezing her ass off on this balcony, or stepping back inside the party tower and enduring that miserable bash.

Min jumped when she noticed the hovercam behind her. It had followed her out, noticing that she was gone. The shots of her leaning on the railing, cold and alone, were probably being broadcasted on every frivolous gossip feed in the city. Min took a deep breath and tried, for the millionth time, to ignore it all.

She had been pretty for a few years now, and still hadn't quite gotten used to the lifestyle. She had no patience for small-talk, was too uptight to dance, and hated the constricting ball gowns. And alcohol made her feel terribly sick. Besides, as an athlete-in-training, Min couldn't afford spending a day with a hangover. Consequently, bashes were pure torture. She had quickly been voted into a clique, the Jocks (naturally), but she still felt like an outsider. The only time she was truly happy was on the soccer field.

After that first world championship win, Minerva had been voted team captain and had since led the Olympians to three more consecutive victories. This winter, they would be looking for a fifth. No team had ever won five world championships in a row, not in this city, not in the world. Of course, they had already broken a record for the Olympians, but nothing was good enough for Min.

As a result of this wild success, Minerva was now quite famous. Littlies and uglies displayed pictures of her on their wallscreens, hoping one day to be a soccer champion, too. (Of course, _that_ wish was futile. Nobody could play quite like Minerva.) She was interviewed constantly for middle-pretty talk shows. Best of all, due to her exclusive status, Min had secured a room in Valentino Mansion. Old things still gave her comfort, just like the Rusty Ruins had when she was ugly. Min didn't mind that the walls were stone and dumb. She didn't do much talking to people, anyway. Except for with Max. Min turned around and looked inside. Max, a fellow member of the Jocks, was dancing with some boy, downing another glass of champagne, their bodies moving closer together with every beat of the music. That was another thing that Min wasn't interested in. She was nineteen years old, and the only person she knew of that was still a virgin, which was a considerable feat, living in New Pretty Town. She had never even been kissed. Not that she minded. A relationship would only distract her from her duties to the team.

Suddenly, as if he had read her thoughts and materialized out of thin air, a boy had appeared next to Min. That was a first. Guys were never interested in her, perhaps somehow sensing that she wasn't interested in them. Min followed his gaze out to the fireworks display.

"That bash getting a little dull to you, too?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Min moaned unhappily, while deciding that she would keep an eye on this one. She had never heard another new pretty complain about a bash before.

Just then, the fireworks began their grand finale, lighting up the sky brilliantly. "Oh!" said the boy with a start. "Your hair is such an interesting color. I thought it was just black before the fireworks lit everything up." Then he quickly looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry..." he mumbled. "I didn't mean...it's just that...well...I always wanted to be a cosmetic surgeon, so I notice things like that. Sorry," he apologized again. His speech seemed strange to her, and Min realized with a sudden flash that it sounded familiar. Minerva never used pretty-talk because it was the most asinine thing she had ever heard. Her teammates were used to her serious and formal tone, but Minerva had never met anyone else who shared it. Until now.

"Really?" Min turned to face him, eyes wide, mouth open, her perfect lips almost a smile for once. "I've always thought the same thing, ever since I was a littlie!"

Recognition suddenly filled the boy's face. "Oh! I know who you are..." he said, and Min turned away again. Of course he would recognize her famous face. Now that he knew she was only that stupid soccer star, and not the sexy, mysterious loner he most likely thought she was, he would leave her, and Min realized that she didn't want that...

"You're shivering! You must be freezing in that," he said, and took off his suit jacket to drape it over her shoulders. His hands didn't leave when he did so.

Min leaned into him, feeling his warmth. When he didn't protest, she let almost her whole body weight fall into his arms.

He took her face in both his hands and turned it toward him. He looked a bit unique for a new pretty. There was something in his firm jaw and chin that made him seem more masculine than the rest, somehow. And with his warm brown hair, eyes, and skin tone, he reminded her of Max, who possessed Min's favorite face in the whole wide world...

He leaned down, and when Min realized what he was about to do, she felt faint. His lips were warm in the chill night air, and he shoved his hand underneath the jacket and let his fingers trail lightly down her bare back.

Min had instantly liked him, she really had. And yet, there was something missing from the kiss. It wasn't as great as everyone made it seem. He released her, taking a deep breath, then leaned in close again, his mouth open. Min knew that she was supposed to do the same, and instinctively obliged him, but this was even worse. It felt like he was assaulting her with his tongue, and the aggression frightened Min. She hadn't meant for it to go this far...

She forcefully pulled away. "I'm sorry!" he apologized instantly again. "I didn't mean to take things too quickly." Min couldn't stand him blaming himself like this. Despite her mixed feelings about the kiss, it was nice to feel wanted, to have somebody attracted to her. She would be a fool to let this one go. "No, no, it's not you, it's me," she said. "I'm just a little...new to this. And it's getting late, so I was just about to go home a few minutes ago anyway. I can't stay up all night when I have practice the next day."

"That's quite alright, Minerva, I understand!" he said, taking her in his arms again. (Min was only vaguely aware of the fact that he knew her name. Of course he did.) "I'll walk you home. Where do you live?"

"Valentino," she answered quickly. "But...I don't think I ever got your name..." she said in barely a whisper.

"It's Az," he breathed into her hair.


	9. Az

Minerva looked up into the showerhead, eyes closed, letting the warm rain wash away all the dirt and grime from that evening's practice. When she had finished, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel from the heated rack. She eyed the stack of underwear and pajamas she had brought from home, debating whether she should put them on or not. Min took a deep breath and realized that she was shaking, no doubt due to the knowledge that Az was waiting for her outside in his bedroom. She had been spending a couple nights a week in his mansion for the past month or so, but still no action had happened between them. Min just fell right asleep most nights, exhausted and aching after practice, too spent to oblige Az and his wishes.

Min knew that she was supposed to walk out of the bathroom wrapped in the towel, eyes smoldering, and let it drop to the floor in a way that was so casual and yet so sexy. That was what the girls always did in all those stupid new-pretty dramas, but Min needed to be honest with herself. She would never be like _that_ in a million years. She opted to put on the purple silk pajamas and opened the door.

Az was already in bed, his shirt off, his face waiting. Min walked over, perhaps a bit too slowly, and lay down beside him. Az drew her towards him under the covers and kissed her. Minerva hugged him back and laid her head down on his shoulder, for a moment just enjoying his warmth and solidness. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you too," Min practically mumbled back.

It wasn't that she didn't love him. She truly did. Just not in the way that he wanted her to. Minerva had felt a connection to Az from the start. They had so much in common, unlike her and Max. These days, Min wondered how they had even become friends in the first place. Sometimes, it just felt like a wild twist of fate that she and Max had even begun talking to each other...

Min was distracted from these disturbing thoughts when she felt Az fiddling with her front buttons. Then he reached in her shirt and unhooked her bra. Next he would slide off her bottoms. Min knew the routine. This happened every time, and she hated it. They would go to bed, and Min would be filled with warmth and happiness, feeling like she could lie beside Az the whole night, talking about their hopes and dreams...and then _this_ had to happen and spoil it all.

He had her completely naked now, and was probably taking off his own pants. This was usually the moment when Min would start hyperventilating, though hardly out of a burning desire, like Az most likely thought she was.

"You're beautiful," he said, his hands on her breasts. "You know, you really stand out. When I first saw you, I thought that you didn't look like any other new pretty girl I had ever seen before." Az said this a lot, although Min knew she wasn't his first girlfriend. She wondered how many others he had said that to. He made a trail of kisses down her jaw, while caressing her bare flesh with his hands. Min's eyes burned, beginning to well with tears of frustration. Why couldn't she perform the deed she was meant to?

But she still gave the same excuse she did every time. "I'm sorry, Az, but I'm too tired," she said. "Practice was really hard today. Maybe after the world championship is over."

And just like that, Az stopped. "Okay, sweetheart," he said, and kissed her forehead. And he didn't argue, or even protest in the slightest. Because despite all his bubbly seriousness, Az was still just a new pretty. And new pretties never said "no." Except for Min.


	10. Impossible

As Minerva sat huddled in her secluded corner of the visiting team's locker room, she couldn't help but remember another World Championship four years ago. That time, she had been a rookie, being tested in front of the entire city. This time, she was a veteran, facing her last world championship before she retired to study a career.

Somehow, this world championship was the most nerve-wracking of them all for Minerva. All those other times, their victories had almost been a surprise. Now, it felt as if everyone expected the Olympians to win and set the world record of five consecutive championships. To say that Min felt a lot of pressure on her would be an understatement. That first time, only her city was watching. This time, the world was.

Earlier that day, the whole team had packed into hovercars and flown to the city of Diego, home of the opposing team. Although the Olympians had never played against them before, Diego had made it to this last game of the intercity playoffs. They would most likely be a formidable opponent.

Minerva closed her eyes, lost in her ritual of pre-game meditation. She was interrupted by the coach's call for the team to assemble, sending another sickening jolt of nerves through her. Min knew that she was ready to play, but it felt as if she never would be.

Min sat with her teammates, listening to their coach drone about game strategy and how they had made it this far and so on, but she could barely pay attention. She was called into focus, though, when the coach announced, "Now, let me turn you over to your team captain!"

Min stood up on one of the benches and faced her team. When she saw all of their expectant faces turned up toward her, filled with admiration and respect, Min felt a surge of warmth. She loved these people, and knew she couldn't let them down tonight. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. Although social interaction was not Minerva's forte, strangely, she had no problem with public speaking. She had done lot of research for this particular pep talk, and hoped it would sound good.

"Well, I could just stand up here and repeat everything Coach said to us, but I won't. Because I would never be able to say it as well." Nervous laughter and a few whoops of applause came from her teammates. "I do, however, want to leave you with one thought." Min took another deep breath and continued. "Most of you probably know that our team was named after the nearby Olympic mountain range. But do you know what the word 'Olympians' really means?" She paused for effect. "Back in Rusty times, 'Olympian' was a special title given to only the very best athletes. The Olympians were the strongest and fastest humans on the planet. But the term dates back much longer than that. In ancient times, some of the pre-Rusties called their most powerful gods the Olympians. That's right, gods: those invisible superheroes in the sky. We know they don't exist, of course. But tonight, no matter what happens on the field, I want you to think one thing: We are athletes. We are gods. We are Olympians!"

The cheers from her team were deafening, although Min was used to facing crowds of hundreds of thousands. She received a few quick compliments on her speech, and then the whole team climbed up the steps, out of the underground locker room and onto the field. The flashes of a hundred hovercams greeted them. The crowd roared, and the Olympians were projected up onto the huge screen above, led by Min. Each found her starting position, and Min took the minute or so before the game started to size up their opponents.

They looked different from all the pretties back home, and Min remembered learning that each city had its own averaging group, based on the people who had lived there back in Rusty days. The Diegans looked quite elegant, all of them with the same dark brown hair and eyes. Their skin was a deeper olive than Minerva was used to seeing. The Olympians, with their varied coloring, probably looked quite rag-tag next to this unified machine. That was Min's last thought before the whistle blew.

**Halftime**

To say that the Diegans fought hard would be an understatement. They were the toughest team Min had ever faced. Every game she had played before felt like child's play now. The Olympians were down, two to one, just like the halftime of their first championship. Although she was thoroughly exhausted, Min knew that she still had time to save the game.

**Final Minute**

The Olympians hadn't scored again. This certainly wasn't due to lack of attempts. With the clock ticking down, Min had only one more chance to try and score again. Although this game had completely spent all of Min's energy, she did that amazing thing that every athlete is able to do under pressure: she found more within herself. Minerva sprinted at top speed toward the Diegan who was in possession of the ball and wrestled it away from her. She hurtled toward the goal with it, dodging the other team's defenders left and right. As the clock ticked down, Minerva made a last-ditch effort to tie up the game. She gave one of her famous game-winning shots, but Min could immediately tell that this one was rather sub-par for her. It was too slow, too predictable. Diego's goalie raised her hands in the air, almost calmly, and caught the ball.

The buzzer sounded, and cheers erupted. The fact that they weren't for her didn't completely register on Min's radar. The Diegans assembled, hugging, screaming, pumping the trophy up and down, but Min felt like she was watching it all from inside a glass box, completely removed from it all. The sound was muted, and all Min could really hear was the sound of her own pulse pounding in her ears. Gradually, what had happened began to make sense in Min's mind, and the feeling that swept over her was one of indescribable loss, humiliation, disappointment, and a thousand other emotions that Min was not used to. One thought overshadowed them all: this was her fault. If only she had been five percent quicker, ten percent more powerful...

This could not be happening. It was impossible. Something had to be wrong.

Minerva Cable never failed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so now you know: "Min"=Dr. Cable. Tell me, did you guess that before? I feel at times I was making it obvious...
> 
> So now for a real summary: this is the story of how Min becomes the woman who is Dr. Cable, followed by Part III: a short retelling of the original trilogy from Cable's point of view, but not without a few surprises!
> 
> (Also, I learned after I started this story that Scott already has a character named Minerva. Oops.)


	11. Patient

Minerva never, in her entire life, would be able to fully recall what happened over the next couple of weeks.

She made it back on the hovercar to Columbia, obviously. But she must have stumbled from place to place in a catatonic state or something, because all Minerva could remember was lying on her bed in Valentino, and not much else. She didn't recall eating anything, but she must have, at least a little bit. She probably only got up to go to the bathroom. The pings came fast and furious, but Min took her interface ring off and put it on the nightstand to ignore them. She ignored all of her calls, too, and the constant knocking on her door. All she did was watch _it_ , covered on almost every single feed on her wallscreen. The failed shot. The humiliation. Eventually, Minerva turned that off, too.

And what did she _feel_ during this time in exile? Oddly enough, nothing. She must have been crying some, because there were mounds of used tissues all around her. But that was all she could remember. Her sleep schedule became rather strange. She slept during the day and was wide awake in the middle of the night. And her sleep wasn't exactly regular, either. It was on a couple hours, off a few more, on again…

During those hideous few hours she spent awake, Min did nothing but stare straight ahead at her blank wallscreen. She didn't feel horrible pain, the kind that made you want to scream and cry and tear up the room. She was numb.

Until the day that her hand wandered into her nightstand drawer to find more tissues.

Minerva turned her head to the side, because her sense of touch was unsuccessful in uncovering more tissues, and then she saw them: the packets of calorie purgers. Hardly any were used, because unlike most pretties, Min burned calories naturally.

The doctors always warned you not to take too many. They were dangerous. _Good_ , thought Min. And then she snapped out of it: Minerva grabbed the box of purgers, and leaped off the bed and into her bathroom, where she got a cup of water. Min popped the little pills out into the palm of her hand, faster and faster until the whole packet was gone. She shoved them all into her mouth and took a good, long drink.

Almost instantly, Min's breathing quickened, and she felt alert for the first time since that fateful night. She took out another pack from the box and did it again. And maybe even again, she didn't know.

Because before long, Minerva's previously sharpened vision was becoming fuzzy at the edges. Her head hurt, and she sat down on the tile, dizzy. Her heart was beating quickly at first, but now it felt like it was trying to hammer its way out of her chest. Minerva began hyperventilating, then panicked, because it felt like she just couldn't get enough oxygen…

* * *

She awoke in a padded cell.

_This must be a dream_ , Min thought. Except it wasn't. It was all real: the scratchy hospital gown, the sterile smell, the muted pastel colors.

Minerva sat up in her bed and looked around, surveying her surroundings. The room was as spare as it could possibly be, with not even a wallscreen. The few pieces of furniture, as well as the walls, were rounded and soft, like the foolishly childish dorm she had lived in as an ugly.

Suddenly, a door slid open in the apparently seamless walls, and Min's heart skipped a beat. She saw the back of a white-coated doctor.

"…She appears to be awake now, finally, if you want to see her," he was saying. The doctor turned, and her parents appeared. Her mother gasped, and ran towards her immediately, sobbing. "Oh, Minerva!" she cried. Her mother sat right on the bed, practically smothering Min in her arms.

"Back off a bit, Skye," came her fathers voice from above them. "You should probably be careful."

"Of course, you're right," her mother was saying. "Min, honey," she gasped between sobs, "We tried to get in touch with you for weeks! And then…we got a call from the hospital!" She wept hysterically, then caught her breath. "That's where you are, of course, sweetie, the big hospital downtown. Are you okay? Oh, of course you're not, what a silly question! You're just lucky it happened in your bathroom. That room was able to read your vital signs and send an emergency ping, unlike everywhere else in that stupid old house!"

Min didn't say anything for a while, partly because her mother's ridiculous riffs always exhausted her ears, and partly because she was still kind of wondering what the hell was going on.

"Why am I here?" Min asked, in typical monotone fashion.

"Oh, sweetheart! The good doctors told us that you were probably suffering from depression, which led to…attempted suicide!" More weeping.

Was that what it was? Min wondered. Attempted suicide? Maybe. She just knew that the pills would do something bad, and she was feeling self-destructive. Come to think of it, she wouldn't have cared if she did die. Why didn't she go back out into her bedroom when she did it?

"Skye, love, our visiting time is almost up, and we don't want to exhaust our poor daughter. And Min, don't worry, they'll take care of you here. They know what they're doing. You just have to prove to them that you're…mentally stable again, and you'll be out in no time." Her father gave her an encouraging smile. Then the door slid back open, an orderly beckoning her parents away.

About an hour later, another orderly came in with a hovering tray. "Minerva Cable?" he asked in an irritatingly cheerful tone.

"Who else?" she answered dully.

"Just wanted to make sure we're giving you the right pill," he said. "Either I or one of my colleagues will be back at the same time every day to administer it to you." And he handed her a pill and a cup of water.

Min covered her mouth with her hand and placed the pill under her tongue. She pretended to take a sip, then gave the orderly the thumbs-up sign. He smiled and left, and Min spit the pill out into a tissue and placed it in the drawer of her squishy nightstand.

* * *

Max came by the next day.

As soon as she saw Max's face, her big brown eyes filled with concern, Min's mouth was forced into a smile. The ache in her facial muscles made her realize how long it had been since she had done so.

Max hurried over, sat down on the bed and hugged her wordlessly. Min uncharacteristically hugged back. Finally, Max pulled away and looked at her. Minerva decided that Max's face had never looked so pretty to her before.

"It's been all over the feeds, Min. Both the news and the gossip ones. Minerva Cable, soccer champion, locked up in a wacko chamber!" They both said nothing for a minute. "They don't tell it exactly like that, of course," she continued. "They say you're hospitalized for a nervous breakdown because of our defeat or something." Another long pause. "Oh Min, you've always been so intense. I'm not saying to let things go, but…oh, I know you hate it when people say things like 'it's only a game,' so I won't, but…" And Max sighed deeply.

"Your nails have dirt under them," Max said. "Oh," Min answered. "I haven't showered since…I guess I'll have to go take one."

* * *

Her third visitor was Az. When the door opened, there was no screaming, crying, running, or physical molestation. Az was just like her. He calmly walked over to the bed, took her hand, and kissed her softly. "I came as soon as I could," was all he said for a long time. "At first they wouldn't let me in, because I wasn't family or a teammate or something," he explained. "I brought something for you, to cheer you up," he said, smiling, and took a small box out of his jacket's pocket. It was wrapped in purple, Min's favorite color.

She took the gift and carefully unwrapped it. When she popped open the box, Min gasped. "Oh, it's beautiful…" she whispered.

On a background of black velvet was a necklace, the pendant a small silver heart. Min had always been a sucker for heart-shapes. "Let me see it," Az said, and he fastened it around her neck. His touch sent a thrill through her. "It looks great on you," he said, and Min smiled. Az sat with her until his visiting time was up, then he kissed her on the forehead. "See you soon," he whispered.

When her pill orderly came by later that day, his usual middle-pretty smile quickly turned into a look of horror. "Oh, no, no, no!" he cried, and reached for her necklace. "We can't let you have anything like _that_!" he said, unclasping it. "You can have it back when you're discharged." After he watched Min pretend to take her pill, he left, taking the necklace with him. She hid the pill with all the others.

Min wasn't quite sure why she didn't take the pills. But it probably had something to do with the fact that she didn't want to be doped up on happy drugs (which they undoubtedly were), she wanted to be _real_ , with real emotions: pleasure, yes, but also pain when necessary.

And gradually, gradually, the pain faded all on its own. Her visits increased in length, and somebody finally deemed her "stable" enough to have a wallscreen. The feeds had stopped airing _it_ , and seeing her friends allowed Minerva to think about something other than her soccer career's ignominious end. But she would never forget it.

Eventually, her release documents were approved. Before she left, Min flushed all the pills down her room's toilet.

When she walked out the front door of the hospital to her hovercar, a few hovercams watched. They were probably airing her face on the feeds, with some ridiculous headline scrolling underneath: "Minerva Cable Released from Rehab," or something like that.

But none of that mattered. Minerva still had hopes and dreams. She wanted to be with Az, and become a surgeon. She was human again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just feel the need to say:
> 
> What inspired me to make this story was the fact that I feel like in all the books, Cable is painted as some kind of demonic monster. Which she isn't, really. I always thought she had a story to tell, and she always haunted me. So I wanted to show that she is, in fact, deeply human. Fun fact: I will not introduce any original characters in this story (besides her parents, but they don't do much).


	12. Hippocratic Oath

Minerva reached under the table to nervously grab Az's hand, and he squeezed back reassuringly. They sat next to each other in the lecture hall, watching their new classmates file into "Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology." Min began sliding her heart pendant back and forth along its chain. She had discovered upon her release from the hospital that it was, in fact, a locket, and she now carried Az's picture close to her at all times.

The road here hadn't been that difficult, but it had been rather tedious and tiresome. In the spring, Min and Az had moved out of their mansions, along with the rest of the group of pretties who had recently turned twenty, into more adult apartments, farther away from all the noise and action. Min and Az both had their own suites, in separate buildings, but they usually alternated back and forth between each other's. Luckily, since her unfortunate episode, Az had backed off a bit and didn't push sex so often.

They then spent several months' time completing a most mentally exhausting number of exams and courses. The exams were meant to test their interests, abilities, and aptitudes, and they were rather extensive, requiring the taker to sit for hours at a time, staring at a workscreen. At the same time, all of the older new pretties were enrolled in classes not of their choice in a wide range of subjects. They were given scores at the end of each one. Min had received her highest marks in the sciences, especially bio, and the lowest in anything having to do with art. At the end of it all, the city enrolled both her and Az in medical school, although neither of them had been assigned a specific track yet. In fact, today was their very first day.

Minerva cringed inwardly when a large clump of young women entered, all huddled together and chattering noisily, occasionally erupting with obnoxious laughter. They were going around the room to every table and introducing themselves to the people sitting there. Their high, lilting voices sounded extremely insincere.

Minerva knew this kind of girl well. They were exactly the type that would have made fun of her when she was ugly, for being flat-chested, or not liking any of the boys, or whatever. She knew right away that she should stay clear of these vapid, superficial women.

Min's insides shifted uncomfortably when they approached her and Az. The funny thing was, they didn't even seem to notice her at all. Minerva hated the gleam in their eyes as they introduced themselves to Az and shook his hand. She knew he was attractive, and she knew she didn't really have that strong of a hold on him. For the first time in her life, Minerva felt threatened.

"And you are?" one of them said, turning to Min, then stopped herself. "Oh, you're that famous athlete." The woman was a standard-looking new pretty, not unique-looking like Min was at all. She had the usual brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin, but it didn't suit her like it did Max. "What's your name again?" she continued. "Is it Minnie-something?"

"It's Minerva," Min answered with a monotone voice and icy gaze, and reluctantly offered her hand.

"I'm Maddy," the woman answered, and shook it quite weakly.

"How could you not know her name, Maddy-wa?" Az, asked, laughing. "Where have you been for the past several years?"

"Oh, I'm not much of a sports follower. I'm usually interested in more intellectual pursuits," she said snottily.

"Actually, there's a lot more thinking involved in soccer than you would realize," Min said, trying hard not to let the daggers in her voice show too much. "It's all about seeing openings, and predicting, and strategy. Probably a lot more skills than you use in your 'intellectual' activities," she snorted.

"That's right, Maddy. I would never underestimate Min-la here," he said, putting his arm around Min, and gave Maddy one of the dazzling smiles that he usually only reserved for her. And why was Az using pretty-talk? He never did that!

"Oh!" Maddy said nervously, and spun around, quickly scurrying to her seat along with the rest of her entourage. Min noticed that the professor had walked in, carrying his briefcase, and she booted up her workscreen, ready to take the best notes she ever had in her life, because one thing was for certain: she was going to get higher marks in medical school than this Maddy character, whatever it took.

* * *

During that class and all the other ones she had to endure with her, Min and Maddy were like oil and water. As soon as Min gave an answer to one of the professor's questions (always the right answer, of course), Maddy's hand would fly up in the air, ready to contradict or question it. And Minerva did the same thing back, always managing to find something wrong or unclear about what Maddy said. It got so bad that a few professors had pulled them aside after class, to lecture on how they were both great students (although Min knew that one of them was a brilliant student), but this was getting to the point where it was wasting class time and they should just let him handle any confusion.

During this time, Az and Min also went to quite a few get-togethers, although they weren't quite the lavish, hedonistic new-pretty bashes. They were more conversational dinners among the medical students, all hosted in someone's apartment. Whenever Min had to put up with one of these, she avoided Maddy like the plague.

In a strange way, Minerva felt that she hadn't been this happy since uglyhood. There were lectures and exams, labs and dissections (animals and even a real human cadaver for the last one), all of which Min found fascinating. She threw as much energy into this new passion as she once had for soccer. It was still a competition, though, against her new arch-nemesis.

And Az was a better study partner than anyone could ever hope for. They stayed up late into the night, poring over their notes and medical textbooks, Min helping Az out and vice versa. And all this thankfully left little time for other pursuits that he may be interested in.

Gradually, the masses of med students enrolled in Intro to Anatomy had been funneled into different, more specific fields, always based on their own personal aptitudes. In a population where no one really got sick, the highest demand was for cosmetic surgeons. Az was going to be one, and Maddy, too. Min was not sure yet. She had taken many of the same classes they had, but as she learned more about how the human body worked, Minerva had discovered that she also had an intense interest in the workings of the brain.

That was why the mentor she was being assigned to was a neurologist. The years spent in medical school culminated in an internship, right before they all graduated and got their licenses. As Min stood in front of the mirror getting ready for the first day of hers, doubts began to fill her mind. Maddy and Az and everyone else already knew what kind of doctor they would be, but Min was an "extraordinary student" that they "had some difficulty fitting in." She knew middle-pretty talk well enough to know what that meant: she was so good at everything that she could do anything. So why was she so nervous?

Az was gone, leaving Min to eat breakfast by herself. He had already begun his internship. It all depended on the schedule of your mentor. In the end, they would have the same amount of mandatory hours logged. Min had been promised that although she would be working under a neurologist, she would have plenty of chances to observe and help with the pretty operation, in case that was what she ended up being assigned to.

Minerva was lost in thought for the whole hovercar ride to the big hospital. "Minerva Cable?" the receptionist asked once she was inside, flashed her eye, and ushered her into a very small waiting room outside a closed office door. Soon after, another orderly entered the office suite with a white coat for her to put on. When Min unfolded it and put it on, she saw the word INTERN clearly embroidered on it in red. She ran her finger over the stitching, fantasizing about how one day soon, she would wear one with "Dr. Cable" written there instead.

The office door suddenly opened, and a kindly-looking white-coated man stepped out. He was far into middle-prettyhood, with salt-and-pepper hair and quite a few wrinkles. "Minerva Cable?" he asked, offering his hand.

"Yes, sir," she answered, and stood up to shake it.

"I'm Dr. Valen," he said, smiling. "I've heard quite a lot about you, Minerva. I am quite sure you will be a most excellent pupil."

* * *

On the day of her graduation from medical school, Minerva sat next to Az in the small but noisy theater, their hands clasped together. They couldn't have made it through these past few years without each other. Min scanned the rest of the seats, noticing her parents in the audience, and of course Dr. Valen. Although she was about to become a licensed cosmetic surgeon, Min had developed a rare friendship with the neurologist. He didn't bother with mindless chatter, immediately sensing Min's annoyance with it. Instead, he constantly praised her attentiveness and knack for learning, and taught her everything he knew. Soon, Dr. Valen became one of three people that Minerva was comfortable around. It was a shame, though, that sometimes he would leave on "official" business, and Min would have to shadow another doctor that day. Although she wouldn't be going into his field, Min would probably do some independent research on neurology, when she wasn't operating on anyone.

Then she spotted a certain dazzling smile across the room and waved. Max, because of her natural good-naturedness and sunny disposition, would be working as an orderly. Max had been done with her training for a while, now. She had just come to watch Min, and was extremely excited that they would be working in the same building, of course.

Minerva looked down at what she was wearing. The strange ensemble dated back to Rusty days, at least. Min didn't mind it, though. She actually thought it was kind of nice, since she was somewhat of a traditionalist. History was her favorite school subject after bio. All of the new doctors were wearing long black robes, with stripes of velvet on the sleeves and velvet panels on the front. On the back was a hood lined in green satin, and on her head was a funny velvet hat with a tassel (a "tam," they called it).

Min caught Maddy glaring at her in the next row. She quickly turned away, of course, when Min noticed her. Maddy was probably still a little sore about how Min would be graduating top of the class. But it was all fair. Minerva had received the highest average marks on labs, exams, and other classwork, along with a stunning intern evaluation by her mentor. It was rumored that a certain someone had come in a very close second.

Min didn't really see what the big deal was, though. All she got to do was deliver a speech after they had all received their licenses (not to mention all the glory. That wasn't a big deal or anything). Min had spent a while writing her speech. It was a load of bullshit, of course, all about their service to the community and the betterment of others' lives. Like she really cared about that.

As the mayor took the podium, a hush settled over the assembled crowd. He welcomed the soon-to-be doctors and gave a boring speech (Min's would be better, of course), then proceeded to read down the list of names.

"Minerva Cable," he called eventually, and deafening cheers and applause erupted as she walked up to receive her license from the mayor. It, too, was old-fashioned, written on a piece of paper in fancy script. (This was just a symbol, though, a prop. Her real license would be a highly secure document embedded in the city interface.) Minerva didn't go back to her seat, though. Instead, she took a place on the risers and faced the audience with the rest who had received their licenses.

Soon all the graduates were assembled onstage before their family, friends, and professors. It was time for the oath. They had practiced it several times before. Apparently, this oath dated all the way back to pre-Rusty times.

Az had made his way next to her, and they joined hands, their gesture hidden in the big sleeves of their robes. They did their secret squeezing pattern as the mayor turned to face them, clearing his throat into the microphone. Minerva took a deep breath as she spoke in unison with the mayor and her fellow doctors: "I pledge to do no harm…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that gave me chills to write, considering that she kills him later. Just saying.


	13. Pretty Minds

Minerva fell into the lifestyle of a cosmetic surgeon quite easily.

On every subject she operated on, her fellow team members always complimented her on her excellent work. She inwardly basked in her pride every time a colleague or intern called her "Dr. Cable." She instantly became used to this, seeing as she had always kind of hated her first name. Soon, the only people who ever called her "Min" or "Minerva" were Az, Max, and Dr. Valen. She could always count on one of these three to save her a seat in the hospital staff's cafeteria. Before, trying to talk with or meet people had always been painful for Minerva. She had always been well-respected but not well-loved, an outsider no matter where she went. She had been a fool to think that the soccer field was her home before. This was where she belonged.

The only bad thing was Maddy. Whenever she passed her in the hallway, Minerva awkwardly glanced down and kept walking, pretending not to notice her. The first few times that Min and Maddy were assigned to both work on the same patient, one of them would conveniently have a conflict come up. The hospital admin quickly learned not to make this mistake again.

When they weren't working, Min and Az would meet at one of their new rowhomes in the suburbs and work on their independent research projects. Most of the doctors had one, of their own choosing. They needed an interest or hobby to occupy their spare time, and they weren't trained in anything else. Even though Min's and Az's weren't related, they still worked on them in the same house for company's sake.

Although she didn't admit this to a single soul, Min actually didn't have a specific project yet. She was having some difficulty focusing her interests. Az's project was very noble. He was trying to save the number of subjects who died each year during their operations (a secret that Min hadn't learned about until medical school). He had determined that being unconscious for so long (the operation lasted almost twenty-four hours) was what usually did it, so he was trying to develop a safer anesthesia.

Min always tried to encourage Az, but another thing that she never admitted to anybody was that she didn't really care about saving lives. Minerva didn't really like people, anyway. Most of them were empty, lazy, vapid sheep. Masses of humans, whose lives didn't matter all that much.

That was what Min was thinking as she scrolled through the millions of data on the screen. It was a late night like any other: she and Az sat in his house's office at separate desks, their backs to each other. No lights were on except for the workscreens illuminating their faces. Min clutched her coffee mug in both hands and took another sip.

What she was looking at was a database only available to doctors. Anybody could get his or her hands on a medical textbook, but this was exclusive. It contained detailed facts and stats for just about every human on the planet, and was constantly being updated. It had been Min's personal obsession for the past year or so. She stared and stared at the data, trying to find something eye-catching about it, some trend to study. It was all very interesting, but there was just too _much_ of it to make sense of.

Naturally, Min always seemed to gravitate towards the brain-scans. She loved comparing them, across age-groups and genders, professions and cities of origin, seeing which areas were more developed on different people and so on.

It was very late at night, and Min was getting quite bleary-eyed. Her head ached, and she knew she should go to bed soon, but she just couldn't stop. She clicked on a data point at random, opened up their brain-scan, and zoomed in, and zoomed in…not quite sure what she was doing.

That was when she saw them. On the left frontal lobe. Barely perceptible, really. Minerva blinked hard several times, to make sure that her tired eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

There appeared to be some tiny little scars, abnormal structures, lesions, whatever you wanted to call them. Minerva certainly didn't remember learning about these in any of her neurology classes. Could they be cancer?

She opened up another subject's scan. They were there again. And again. And again.

Wait, there weren't any on this one! Min quickly opened up a new folder and saved all of this subject's data.

She did this for anybody who didn't have these strange little scars. She was on a streak now, and started going faster, and faster…

When she had well over one hundred checked out and filed, Minerva decided to compare the subjects' data. She was very much wide awake now. The tiny lesions showed up on people all over the world, of every age, and according to Min's quick estimations, well over ninety percent had them. She looked over all the negatives again, trying to find some correlation.

Wait. They _didn't_ show up on people of every age. Although there were several adults, the negatives were overwhelmingly young people: children and teenagers.

Minerva scanned the positives yet again. There were no littlies or uglies to be found.

This was too much for one night. Minerva abruptly stood up and snapped her workscreen shut. She quickly strode across the office and into the bedroom. "You alright, Min?" Az called after her.

"I'm fine! I'm going to bed now," she answered.

"Okay, I'll be there too, in a sec," Az said.

Min was practically panting now as she pulled on her pajamas, filled with adrenaline after her disturbing discovery. She chewed up a toothpaste pill and slid under the covers. Feeling rather uncomfortable, she rolled over to her other side. And did it again. And again.

Min was squirming uncontrollably now, her mind reeling. She focused on taking calming breaths and focusing her mind on something else.

Az climbed into bed next to her after about a minute of this. When he draped an arm over her, Min instantly stiffened.

"Something is bothering you, I can tell," he said after a while.

"Oh, I'm fine," she lied.

"No, you're not," Az said. "Come on, Minerva. You can't fool me. I've never seen you this agitated before," he whispered, full of genuine concern.

Min took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, I think I've finally found a topic for my independent research," she said, her voice shaking.

Az immediately sat up. "You mean you didn't have one before?"

"Well, not really," Min said meekly, hoping he couldn't see her blushing for shame in the dark. "But I sure do now."

"Do tell," was all he said.

"I think that the operation does something bad to people's brains!" she blurted out.

Az let out a low whistle. "Normally, I wouldn't doubt your research, Min," he said, "but don't you think that if it did do something bad, the population would be somehow impaired?"

"I guess you're right," she said slowly. "People don't exactly seem to be _impaired_ , even if most of them are pretty stupid." Az laughed heartily at this, and Min joined in.

"Well, whatever it is, you should probably put it out of your mind for now," Az said, and kissed her forehead.

"Oh, I will," Min promised. "But first I have to ping my old mentor. He's a neurologist, you know."

"What, at two a.m.?" Az asked.

"If he's not awake, he won't answer," Min said, and she took her interface ring off the nightstand and put it on. "Message to Dr. Valen," she said. "It's Minerva Cable. I need to meet with you as soon as possible. End message." She waited a long minute, but there was no response.

"Oh well," she sighed, and fell back onto the bed.

"Do you want me to distract you from it?" Az asked, his voice suddenly changing tones.

Oh no, Min thought. Not again. Between medical school, and now their work and research, she and Az hadn't really devoted any time to attempted lovemaking. Az kissed her, and she kissed back. They did it again, becoming more and more intense. Minerva really didn't mind this part; in fact, she sort of enjoyed it.

But then he took all her clothes off, and next his own. Az was touching and kissing her everywhere now, trying desperately to get her aroused. Min knew that she should do the same, but she just _couldn't_. She loved Az. He was one of her favorite people. But when he pulled her closer under the covers, her whole body screamed NO.

Min pulled away, much more violently than she ever had before. "I'm sorry, Az," she said, as forcefully as possible. "But this really isn't helping. I'll feel better after I talk to Dr. Valen."

And Az stopped, polite as always. But Min sensed his frustration and impatience with her. The poor man had put up with Min and her lack of desire for many years now. He rolled over onto his other side, facing away from her, and eventually fell asleep.

It was many hours before Min did the same.

* * *

"Ah, Minerva! Good to see you," Dr. Valen greeted Min as she walked into his office. "My goodness, young lady! Look at you! Had a rough night, I'm guessing?" Min might not be able to get unpretty-making bags under her eyes, but her face showed her exhaustion and inner turmoil. And her frantic ping last night was enough of a clue.

Instead of returning the doctor's greeting, Min pulled up her findings on the tablet she had brought, and breathlessly relayed all her conclusions back to Dr. Valen.

The room seemed to become a few degrees colder when Min realized that there was no sign of shock in Dr. Valen's expression. Instead, he folded his arms and looked down, averting her gaze.

After a long and awkward silence, he leaned over his desk and took both of Min's hands in his. He looked up at her, and his face showed sadness, pity, and many other things unrecognizable to Min.

"Oh, Minerva," he sighed. "I suppose there's no hiding it from you now. I should have known that one as smart as you would eventually figure it out. I'm just sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this awful secret. I know that I can trust you of all people with it, Minerva. Don't prove me wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Min cried, becoming more and more upset.

Dr. Valen looked down again. "Those lesions you discovered are not an accident," he said.

He then proceeded to tell her everything: about how soon after the pretty operation had been invented, the government officials realized that giving people beauty wasn't enough. They still fought with each other, and had uncontrollable appetites. It looked like the world was heading right back to the age of the Rusties. Then he told her that by making a few simple alterations to the left frontal lobe, this whole problem could be fixed.

Min had been too excited to eat breakfast that morning, but she still felt like she was going to vomit.

As Dr. Valen was telling her about the Restricted Experimental Area where he sometimes worked, an enclosed pre-Rusty tribe from where the city drew their test subjects, Min interrupted him.

"Wait," she said. "I found some post-ops in the database who didn't have the lesions. What about them?"

"Ah," Dr. Valen said, but this time, he was smiling. "We still need a few people left to run things. Politicians, firefighters, wardens, rangers. We cure them all as soon as they enter their fields."

Suddenly, Minerva felt like a fool, because she had forgotten one very obvious question: "What about me? And you? Do we have them?"

"All doctors are cured. You're a surgeon, Minerva. Your job requires you to think." That meant that Maddy and Az didn't have them, either.

"How? When?" she asked, the questions suddenly exploding out of her. "You know how we give all new pretties the birth control hormone?" he asked.

Of course Min knew. That was another secret that she had learned in medical school: specialized hormones were snuck every day by the hole in the wall into the food or drink of a new pretty, otherwise, unwanted pregnancies would be popping up in New Pretty Town left and right. And new pretties were much too stupid to remember to take a pill (Min shuddered as she realized that now, she knew _why_ ).

"Of course I do," she said.

"Well, we do the same thing when students enter medical school. Specialized brain nanos are given as soon as they are enrolled. You drank yours in your morning orange juice one day without even realizing it," he said, chuckling.

Always literal-minded, Minerva responded in a deadpan, "I don't drink orange juice, I drink coffee."

"Ah, well, you know what I mean," Dr. Valen said, waving a hand. "Well, I suppose we should both get back to work now. Just one more thing, Minerva: do not speak a word about any of this, to anybody, or there will be serious consequences for you," he said, suddenly turning serious. He stood up and showed her the door, pleasant again. "If it ever bothers you so much that you need to talk to someone, there's always me."

"Wait!" Min said. "Are you sure I even got the lesions in the first place? I mean, I always felt different from all the other new pretties. I was a lot more serious…"

"Oh, you had them all right," Dr. Valen interrupted. "But there will always be those people who are so smart that they manage to think around them. Playing soccer probably helped, for you." Dr. Valen patted her shoulder and smiled. "It's highly possible that you are just a special circumstance."

* * *

Before she went back to work, Min hid in one of the stalls in the women's locker room and cried, just a little bit. The weight of the world had just been dumped on her shoulders, after all. At least she could talk about it with Dr. Valen. Everybody that she knew was brain damaged, besides her fellow doctors. Her parents (no surprises there), and Max… _Max_! She had to save her.

But Min put those thoughts aside, at least for now. She took a deep breath, blew her nose, and reported to duty.

* * *

When Az came home that night, he found Min sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space, a plate of dinner untouched in front of her.

"So, how did your little chat with Dr. Valen go?" he asked.

"Oh, it turned out I was worried about nothing. What I noticed was perfectly natural," Min lied.

"Are you sure?" Az asked. He didn't have the lesions. It would be hard to fool him. "You seemed pretty convinced last night."

"Well, I was wrong," Min said matter-of-factly. "It's nothing that we need to look into further. I'm choosing a new research topic," she concluded tersely.

Az turned away, still not quite believing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say, I embarrassed myself by making a mistake with this story. I pride myself on not usually doing that. But in Uglies, when Tally meets Maddy and Az, Maddy says that when they met, she had just been named to the Committee on Morphological Standards. But I have them meeting while still in med school! GAH I hate it when people go against canon! But in my defense, when Maddy says "met," maybe she means more like "got together." According to my story, they certainly do hide some things…Well, I hope you'll forgive me and keep reading.
> 
> Love,  
> Fanna


	14. Breakup

Minerva took another bite of her sandwich as she scrolled through all her messages. The only one that may have mattered was an announcement for a meeting of all the cosmetic surgeons. She was supposed to be there right now, in fact, but Min had uncharacteristically decided not to go. Instead, she was eating lunch all by herself in her private office.

It had been almost two weeks since her discovery of pretty minds. Although it had upset her at first, gradually Min realized the cold, cruel truth: it was necessary. Most people really did have no value as human beings. They were shallow, and stupid, and contributed nothing to society. This was only a more mature and cynical view of what she had always thought as a littlie, her own conceit combined with her negative life experiences. Minerva was one of the smartest, one of the privileged few left to look after the planet. And it needed guarding, indeed. Minerva shuddered to think of what would happen to the fragile earth if humans somehow rediscovered creativity, conflict, and ambition. Giving the lesions to Max had been a mistake, though. Min would make sure that she was cured, one way or another.

The worst part was that Az had been extremely distant of late. They still spoke, of course, and appeared as a couple, but Min spent all of her nights alone in her own bed nowadays, becoming even more depressed and withdrawn than usual.

"Dr. Cable to Conference Room A, Dr. Cable to Conference Room A!" came a voice over the speaker system, and Min recognized it as Max's. Of course: the meeting. Minerva supposed she had to go now, since being paged was somewhat embarrassing.

She hurried over to Conference Room A and found an empty seat waiting for her at the long conference table. She quickly sat down, looking in her lap to try and disguise her blushing. To make matters worse, Maddy was undoubtedly glaring at her, and probably feeling rather smug.

All hopes of a subtle entrance vanished when the mayor immediately stood up and cleared his throat. "Well, now that we're all here, let me begin," he said. If the mayor was here, this had to be important. He didn't have the lesions; none of the politicians did.

"As you know, two of our fine representatives on the Committee for Morphological Standards have decided to retire this year, after many years of hard work and dedication." The surgeons all applauded, and the two late pretties smiled appreciatively.

"This, of course, leaves two empty seats in Columbia's representation. After much deliberation, the City Council has decided on two young and talented doctors to take their place. We hope that today's appointment to the Committee is the start of a long career of service and excellence. Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce Dr. Minerva Cable…"

Min completely stopped listening after that. She stood up as she was recognized, the applause as thunderous to her ears as when she won a world championship. It was all she could do to keep from crying tears of joy, and Min certainly wasn't even an emotional person. This had been her dream, ever since she was a littlie. As she got older, Min began to think that this had been a rather silly idea, but suddenly it didn't seem so anymore. This was what she had been working towards all her life. It was absolutely surreal. 

But when she looked across the room, Min saw Maddy smiling and hugging everyone around her, and she realized that Maddy must have been the second name called. Min had been so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't even notice.

But Minerva was not going to let this little damper on things ruin her happiness. At least not today.

* * *

There was a party later that night to celebrate.

It was being thrown at one of their colleague's houses, out of the kindness of his heart. Minerva had always hated parties, and being one of the guests of honor certainly wasn't going to help matters. It was safe to say that Minerva would much rather walk barefoot over hot coals than make small talk. She would have to have a false smile glued on her face the whole time, and pretend that she liked everybody and actually cared about what they had to say.

Min looked glumly back at herself in her mirror. At least she didn't have to wear some ridiculous ball gown. She had selected a dressy-casual ensemble, sensible and subdued, which was how Min preferred all clothing. The main focus of her outfit was Az's heart necklace. It sparkled silver against the pale skin of her chest. Az himself had pinged her to say that he would pick her up on his way to the party, so they could walk there together. Maybe Min had just been worrying too much about her and Az.

Min let him in when he rang the doorbell. "You look beautiful," he said, and kissed her. Min grabbed her coat and hat, and they continued to the party, their gloved fingers interlaced in the cool winter evening.

The party itself was pure torture, of course. Min had to endure countless awkward hugs, and her ears rang with the nonstop chatter. There was even some champagne involved, just for old times' sake.

It was strange that Min's fellow cosmetic surgeons were throwing a joint party for both her and Maddy. Didn't they know how much they hated each other? Luckily, Min and Maddy always seemed to end up on opposite sides of the room.

It would have been better if Max or Dr. Valen were there, but they weren't invited because they didn't really work with any of these people. After the first couple of hours, when Min felt like she had made enough of an appearance, she escaped into the bathroom. She locked herself in and sat down on the closed toilet, her head in her hands.

Min wasn't sure how long she stayed there, but she suddenly felt exhausted. The party was just too overwhelming, so much so to the point where Min almost felt ill, although she couldn't actually be sick. She just wanted nothing more than to return to the silence of her house, and lie down under the covers.

Min crept back out to the party and managed to pull Az aside for a minute. "I don't feel so good, I'm going home now," she practically shouted in his ear.

"I'll walk you back," Az offered.

"No, no, I'll be fine," Min answered. "You can stay here." Az was obviously enjoying himself, talking and laughing with everybody, and Min didn't want to tear him away from that. She was boring enough already.

"Are you going back to your place or mine?" he asked.

"Mine," Min replied immediately. She said a few hurried goodbyes, and the party guests surprisingly looked genuinely sad to see her go. She gave a lie about drinking too much, although that was completely out of character for Min. Hopefully, they wouldn't notice.

But as Min walked home, huddled against the cold of the pitch-black night, something made her take the turn over to Az's house. She wanted somebody to share her happiness with, and there was no one else, really. A quiet celebration with Az would be a nice relief from that party.

Min let herself in (Az had granted her access a while ago), and she made her way into his bedroom in the dark and sat on the edge of his bed, with the lights off. Min didn't even bother taking off her hat, coat, scarf, and gloves. She sat very, very still, although her mind was reeling. She just wanted him to come home, now.

After what seemed like an eternity, Min heard the front door click open. Az's laughter filled the house, and was soon joined by a woman's obnoxious cackle. Min's blood turned to ice when she recognized the other voice: Maddy.

"Are you _sure_ our little friend Minerva Cable won't mind this?" Maddy was saying as the two made their way to the bedroom. They were right in the doorway now, although they couldn't see Min in the dark.

Az made a sort of strangled sound. "I'm not sure," he said. "She's really an odd one. You know, she may do great things out on the soccer field, but in bed, it's a whole different story!" And they both engaged in another round of laughter.

They were laughing at _her_?!

"I'm not even sure why I've stayed with her all these years," Az continued. "At this point, I'm just not sure how to break up with her."

Suddenly, Min twisted her ring, flicking on the lights. Az and Maddy jumped sky-high. Az gasped, and Maddy let out a small shriek.

Min couldn't even enjoy the look on Maddy's face. Her own facial muscles were relaxed, her face blank as she gazed at them, but her eyes burned with hatred. Min slowly, slowly, stood up, and didn't say anything as she walked past them. She felt Az and Maddy's eyes following her, but Min didn't look back once as she kept her steady pace towards the front door.

Once she had closed that behind her, Min began to sprint, her head and shoulders down, hands in her pockets, with tears stinging her eyes the whole way home.


	15. Min and Max

When she finally did reach her house, Min immediately dove onto her bed, buried her face in her pillow, grabbed two fistfuls of blanket, and cried: loud, jagged sobs that shook her whole body. Minerva left nothing inside: her pain at being laughed at, her anger at Az for being a liar, her hatred of Maddy, but mostly, her frustration with herself. What Az had said was true, after all. She cried until there were no more tears left. Eventually, she fell asleep.

* * *

She was awakened by a ping. The sun was streaming through her window, so she must have been out for a while. Min ignored the ping, but then another came, and another…so she took her interface ring off and muted it.

About half an hour later, her doorbell rang, but Min was so spent of physical and mental energy that she couldn't even make herself get up. Soon, whoever it was could be heard banging on the door, and eventually kicking it. If they kept this up, her house would automatically send an emergency ping.

It eventually stopped, but then a loud _thunk_ bounced off of Min's window. She could hear a voice screaming outside: "Min! Minerva! MINERVA CABLE! I know you're in there! Open up before I call the wardens!"

It was Max. Maybe she had managed to think her way around the lesions, too. A normal pretty would never have been that persistent. Min told her ring to let Max in. She heard Max's footsteps hurrying up the stairs, but when she got to the doorway, Max stood still with shock. "My goodness!" she said. "Minerva Cable, just look at you!"

Min was lying on top of her neatly made bed, in rumpled party clothes. Even her shoes were still on, and there were dirty tissues everywhere. Max found a hand mirror on Min's dresser, and held it up to her. Pretties were unable to get puffy eyes or a red nose, but Min's party makeup was all smeared, making her look like a complete wreck.

"I wanted to come over and give you a proper congratulations, but when you didn't answer any of my pings, I got nervous," Max said. "And now I see I had a reason to be! What's wrong, Min?" Max asked quietly, and she came over and sat on the bed, taking both of Min's hands in her own. Min sat up and immediately started weeping again, burying her face in Max's shoulder. Max wrapped her arms around Min and held her tightly, rocking her gently and stroking her hair. "Shhh, it's okay, Min," she was whispering. "Tell me, what's happened?"

Minerva wanted Max to never let go. She breathed in her scent, savoring her touch. Max wasn't pushing too much, but gradually, between sobs, Min managed to get out what had happened last night.

Max didn't say anything for a while, but it was Min who started talking after the long silence. "What's wrong with me, Max?" she gasped. "Why can't I do it with him?"

It wasn't something that Minerva expected Maxamilla Feaster to understand, of course. Max was officially married now, according to the city interface, and had settled in with her longtime boyfriend, a guy they had known since ugly days.

"I thought he was the one," Min continued. "If I couldn't with him, than who?" Minerva couldn't even bring herself to utter Az's name. Max didn't really have anything to say; she just let Min cry. "What's wrong with me?" Min sobbed again.

The truth of the matter was, Min had never really been turned on by anyone, in her entire life; and as a surgeon, she had seen her fair share of naked people.

Max pulled away, and took Min by the shoulders. "Well, one way or another, you definitely cannot wear this anymore," she said, and reached to unclasp the locket from Min's neck. That only started another round of sobbing. Max's simple gesture just made it seem all the more real. Min loved the locket. It complemented the sliver flecks in her eyes perfectly, and she had worn it for years, all through medical school and beyond. She would certainly feel its loss.

"No!" Min screamed as Max was about to toss it into the recycler. Max gave her an odd look.

"Well, at least let me do this," she said, and Max opened the locket and picked out Az's picture with her fingernails. She opened Min's window, and let the harsh winter wind carry it away. Max closed the window back up, turned around, and threw the little heart deep into Min's closet.

* * *

After Max left, Minerva only deteriorated further. For days, she did nothing but lie on her bed, crying. She never even bothered to change out of her last outfit. She ignored all of her pings, calls, and visitors, and set her house to maximum security. It was pretty much a flashback of what had happened when she lost the world championship match. No matter how hard any of the doctors tried, they would probably never be able to cure her depressive disorder.

Except this time, instead of being numb, Min spent her days in exile reflecting on her pitiful life. Her glorious soccer career had ultimately concluded in defeat, with her failing the entire team and city. For someone so smart, to which everything had always come so easily, Min just couldn't fully get over that.

Az had made up for it, though, something good to pull her through the darkness of that time. Min's relationship with him had been special. It was different from what she had with Max, or her other friend, Dr. Valen, even if it wasn't quite what they had been hoping for.

But now Az was gone, having left Min for the person she hated most in the world. And it really was her fault, her strange unwillingness that had ultimately ruined the relationship. Min had secured her dream job, but now she would have to face that person every day, never escaping the torture. It was like someone had magically granted her wish, but then cursed her forever as a price for it.

What kind of cruel, sick joke was life?

It certainly wasn't one that Minerva wanted to be a part of anymore.

She had failed at it once before, but this time, she wouldn't. All of the walls in her rowhome were smart, able to alert the emergency services if something went wrong. Easy, then: she wouldn't do it inside.

Min took all of her bedsheets and tied them together in a long chain, as tightly as she could (her muscles were still quite strong from soccer). She opened her window and climbed out onto the sill, slamming the window shut on one end of her chain. The other end, she looped around her neck.

The wind was bitingly cold, and Minerva took a minute to reflect on how this would probably be the last sensation she ever felt. Her last sight, the generic carbon-dioxide-sucking trees that surrounded her.

She threw herself off of the ledge.

Almost immediately, the rope snapped tight. Minerva instinctively tried to take a breath, but her throat was closed. And then…

The tension was suddenly released, and Min fell hard onto the grass below, face up. As she looked up at the white sheets blowing from the window, she realized that one of her knots had simply come undone.

So Min lay there, hurting, unable to move. The pain was too great, and her vision was turning black around the edges…

* * *

And so Minerva was institutionalized for the second time in her life.

She wondered if this was, ironically, the same cell she had been confined in as a new pretty (she was technically a middle now). She was here because some lovely neighbors, out of the kindness of their hearts, had found her passed out and broken on the ground. She was picked up by the ambulance, and, seeing as she wasn't quite dead yet, operated on and then sent here to take care of her deeper wounds, as the doctor was explaining to her now.

Min felt a pinching sensation on the inside of her left elbow, and she turned her head to see some tubes stuck in her, probably pumping her full of the most powerful mind-numbing meds they could find, seeing as the pills really hadn't worked out last time. At least her breakdown wasn't highly publicized now, Min's fame having diminished with her soccer career.

During the weeks she spent in the hospital bed, Max came to visit her sometimes, faithful as always. Her parents came, as well. Min had never been attached to them, but now, with her new knowledge, she felt sorry for them because she had learned how genetics worked. Since Min herself was so highly intelligent, her parents _must_ have had some kind of ability at one point, too.

This time in the hospital was different from her last because this time, Min had to see a "counselor" as part of her "treatment." She didn't actually open herself up to this person, of course, with her eerie smile and creepily calm "therapist" voice. But the sessions really did get Min thinking, on her own.

Last time, she had been able to pull herself out of the depression because she had remembered the reasons in her life that she had to still live. She had looked forward to being with Az (that wouldn't help anymore), and she had hopes of becoming a surgeon (Min wasn't really psyched to go back to work anymore, either). This time, she had nothing.

Unless…

Ever since that failed shot so many years ago, Minerva had become obsessed with the idea of body modification: improving her weak and pathetic self, so that her abilities would never fall short again. She had done some research, and had discovered that certain wardens and firefighters had enhanced muscles, speed, and reflexes. Minerva was convinced that they could do more. When she presented this idea for her independent research, however, her superiors at the hospital had quickly shot it down, calling her ridiculous and impractical. But it _wasn't_ impractical! Couldn't they see all the uses for such beings? And besides, Minerva was on the Pretty Committee now. She had surpassed all the other doctors in the hospital, and didn't have to listen to them anymore. They were most likely only afraid.

The idea consumed her like a fire. The doctors monitoring her quickly saw Min's previous listlessness replaced with determination and energy, and eventually released her.

As soon as she got back home, Min fired up her workscreen and began developing her plan. It was perfect. And Minerva was willing to give her life to its cause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, sorry for the dark nature of this story. But it is what it is. She is supposed to be somewhat psychotic, after all.


	16. Informed Consent

After that, Minerva became a woman possessed. She spent all of her spare hours glued to her workscreen, and needed Max to remind her when to shower, eat, go to bed, and change her clothes when they smelled. Besides for Max's frequent check-ins, Minerva managed to avoid all unnecessary human contact, and only left her house to go to work. Her project needed to be absolutely perfect in time for the deadline Min had set for herself: the upcoming Morphological Congress. The timing of her appointment the Committee hadn't been a coincidence. Columbia needed to find the two new representatives in time for this.

Min's plan was to present her proposal in front of the whole global committee. Just because her colleagues back at the hospital thought she was delusional didn't mean everybody did. And the message needed to get out to the entire world. Every last city would benefit from Min's ideas.

And what were those ideas, exactly?

To put it simply, Minerva knew how to create a whole new being, far superior to any human who had ever walked the earth before. The pieces were already there, already being practiced around the world. All Min did was research, perfect, and put them all together, in order to build something that no one had ever dreamed of before. 

When the time came for the Congress, Minerva requested to be transported in a separate hovercar from Maddy. Sympathy was given to her, of course. Everyone had known that she and Az had been a couple, and gossip traveled quickly.

The Congress was a multi-day event, in a far-away city. Min couldn't remember if she had ever played a team from there or not. The majority of the business time was devoted to sharing data on the operation and humans' reactions to different faces, but the officials somehow managed to fit Min's presentation into the schedule.

When it was time to give Min the floor, the doctor officiating everything announced her.

"And now, may I please introduce Dr. Minerva Cable, representative from Columbia."

The Committee applauded, and Min leaned forward into the special microphone at the podium. She greeted her fellow committee members, all in white lab coats like her own, and the ones who didn't speak English looked down at their workscreens, her words translated before their eyes. Min knew exactly where Maddy was sitting in the assembly room, and she would make sure that her eyes never wandered over there. The huge wallscreen booted up behind her, ready to project diagrams and other visual aids to her presentation. Min had a small tablet in her hands to control it all. She cleared her throat and began. Although sometimes antisocial, shy, and awkward, Minerva had never minded public speaking. To top it all off, she was absolutely confident in her knowledge of the subject matter, as well as the utter perfection of her plan.

* * *

For the next hour or so, Minerva explained and illustrated all of the components of her new surgery idea, down to every last detail, while the audience took careful notes. Her proposed operation was really a combination of ones she had already learned about, plus some of her own genius additions.

The subject's muscles would be replaced with synthetic ones, much stronger and able to self-repair. The reflex center of the brain would be significantly augmented, and the cardiovascular system improved upon as well. These would give the individual the ability to move faster than any human ever had before, and hollow bones made of aircraft ceramics would aid in this, too. (Those were Minerva's own idea, plus they had the advantage of being extremely hard to break.)

The senses would be enhanced, as well. A person who received this operation would be able to hear better than a bat, smell better than a dog, and see better than a bird of prey. More nerves would be added to make the sense of touch extremely sensitive.

Despite already being rather lethal, perhaps some mode of self-defense would aid the post-op. The fingernails would be replaced with a synthetic substance, hard as diamonds and dangerously sharp.

The benefits went on and on. A super-accelerated metabolism that would be able to quickly break down toxins. Nanos stored in the body for the purpose of self-repair. Vision overlays, including infrared, triggered by simple finger twitches. Chips in the hands that would turn sympathetic vibrations into hidden conversations with a simple touch. A communications system, consisting of an implanted skintenna and a chip in the jaw. (Plus, this would allow somebody to view the feeds at any time, when they closed their eyes.)

When Minerva had finished explaining the physical aspects of this theoretical operation, she began on the possible uses of enhanced humanity. They were endless, really, but the main purpose was simple: protection. Her audience didn't know the secret of pretty minds, but truthfully, the idea that there was still a small percentage of the population who was able to think freely had always made Min nervous. The world still wasn't safe. Trouble would come, eventually, even if the operation delayed it for a few hundred years or so. When it did, the cities would need some sort of a fighting force.

"And that is why," Minerva concluded, "I propose that every city in the world create a new department, a department of Special Circumstances, which will utilize improved humans to protect the people of the cities, and guard the planet as a whole."

And her presentation was finished. Minerva wasn't really sure where she had gotten the phrase "Special Circumstances," but she liked the way it sounded, and it described what her new beings would handle perfectly. Minerva caught her breath as the committee politely applauded, and then the floor was open for questions and comments, all of it translated by the special microphones everyone had. Minerva could see their words appearing on her tablet as they spoke. Some of her colleagues declared Minerva a genius, and said that they would meet with their cities' governments as soon as they got back home. Some, on the other hand, denounced her as mad. Minerva had been expecting that, of course. She didn't really care.

The debate soon turned ugly, since all of the doctors were cured pretties. Minerva tuned it out while she stood there. She had said her part already. To shorten things, the speakers began to nickname Minerva's idea for modified humans "Specials." Of course, the creation of Special Circumstances would still be up to the governments of the individual cities. But as long as some of them adopted it, the planet would be that much safer.

Minerva had no doubt that Special Circumstances would be created quickly back in her own city. They would listen to her. She had always been a well-respected figure, going all the way back to her days of international fame.

When she had been safely transported back home, Minerva was warmly greeted by her colleagues (except for Az, of course). Normal people didn't really watch the Morphological Congress broadcasted on the feeds, but it was of great interest to all the cosmetic surgeons. Minerva's ideas had become infamous over the past few days, quickly spread by the newsfeeds, and her presentation was deemed the highlight of this particular Congress, whether one thought her idea was genius, or insane, or frightening. In a way, this was the perfect revenge on Maddy and Az. Nobody was talking about them. Strangely, Min felt like she was back in her glory days.

* * *

The mayor approved of her idea quickly, naturally. How could he refuse the ingenious plan of one of Columbia's most successful citizens?

Minerva designed the Special Circumstances headquarters herself (with the help of some architects, since it wasn't her profession). It would be located on the outskirts of the city, near the factory belt. Headquarters would consist of a main building surrounded by barracks where the soon-to-be-created Specials would live (Minerva would be operating on them all personally, to ensure perfection.) All of it would be of the highest security. The buildings would all descend several stories into the earth, to provide the maximum safety during whatever storm may come, and to remain inconspicuous. To aid in the camouflage, they would be painted the brown color of the dried grass surrounding them.

That was another thing: although Min's presentation at the Congress was a hot topic among the more erudite, from now on, all of the advancements made towards its completion would be kept a secret in Columbia. Min didn't know how the other cities would create a Special Circumstances, if they ever did, but Min's background in cosmetic surgery made her think of her own touch: a new face for all of the operation's recipients. A face that would reflect how deadly the Specials really were. A face that would strike fear into the heart of anyone who made trouble, which would be their main business. And how would anyone be afraid of Specials if everyone knew about them, their faces on display to the world? Min had also done some psychological research on which shade humans found most unsettling and repulsive, and decided that the main Headquarters would be painted entirely in it, adding to the unsettling effect of it all. In addition, Minerva knew how to alter vocal cords, to eliminate the naturally sweet and soothing voice that some people had, and create a tone that would make anyone hearing a Special speak drop what they were doing and obey.

That still did not complete Minerva's plans for Specials. There was another finishing touch, one that only she herself would know about, and she would give it to all she operated on.

A new body, not even a new face, would be enough. The Specials would have to have a mindset that went with it all.

What would be the use of all that speed, strength, and reflexes if they weren't bubbly enough to actually use it to fight? Also, simply _being_ superior would not be enough for some people. It would have to be embedded in their minds. And of course, all Specials would be cured of the pretty lesions (plus, anyone in Special Circumstances would be allowed to know their secret).

Minerva's knowledge of neurology had allowed her to create a whole new kind of brain surge.

* * *

Min flew by in a hovercar every week or so to check on the construction of Headquarters. It was coming along quite nicely, except their underground placement required a lot of earth to be moved. There was nowhere to put it, really, so the builders (who didn't know what they were building) decided to dump it all in a pile, creating an ugly, misshapen artificial hill.

* * *

Max and Dr. Valen knew of Min's plans, and thought that they were wonderful.

What was best, though, was that now Minerva could see that _this_ was how she would save Max from prettyhood. Max would be one of the first recipients of the operation, as well as her husband. That was another thing that Min had decided: only those who fought the system would ever receive the privilege of being Special.

But that still left the problem of who the first recipient would be.

Max was asking Min this as they both sat down to tea (a very popular drink at the moment) in the former's house.

"But don't you see, Max?" Min asked, surprised that her friend hadn't been able to realize her thoughts yet. "I will be the first."

"No, Min!" Max gasped, grabbing both of her hands across the table. "You can't give yourself up to be experimented on! Your idea is beautiful, really, Min. You are an amazing scientist, and I have no doubt that your plan is perfect. But you know what all the surgeons are saying. No one has ever attempted that many modifications on a person. Not all at once. It's still very risky," Max whispered, leaning in close, an anxious and concerned look in her brown eyes.

In response, Minerva let out a long sigh. "I've been wishing I were dead for a long time now, Max," she said softly, looking down. "I thought that you knew that. But don't you see?" she repeated, meeting Max's eyes. "If this works, I have reason to live again."

* * *

Min called a meeting of all the surgeons in the hospital to put her plan into motion. Actually, she had sent the invite to all but two of them.

"But Dr. Cable," one of the men said from the other end of the conference table. "I know that you worked very hard on your plans. And I know that you 'don't make mistakes.' But you have to realize, from your training as a scientist, that there is risk involved in any surgery, especially one of this scale that has never even been tried before. Do you want Special Circumstances to happen or not? As its creator, I don't really think we can afford to lose you."

Min sighed. They had been over this several times so far in this meeting. "Of course I realize that," she said flatly, annoyance creeping into her voice. "But I give my informed consent." Plus, she needed to be the first. There was no way she was going to let an inferior receive this gift before she did.

"Alright, then," he said. "I suppose there is nothing we can do to stop you, now."

Min was handed a tablet with a document up on it, beginning with "I, Minerva Cable, give my informed consent…"

She electronically established her agreement, and the preparations began.

* * *

Minerva was a little bit nervous about her not being the one to perform the operation for the first time. But she created very detailed instructions, and hopefully the surgery team would execute them well. She lied about the function of the brain alterations she had made.

The first thing she needed to do, though, was create her new face.

She worked on it from her own bedroom. Min pulled up the morpho software on her wallscreen, something that she hadn't done since her childhood. She pulled her hair back, let it scan her, and soon, she was looking at her current face, staring blankly back at her.

The surgeons had completely destroyed any remnants of herself when they gave her the operation. Min's goal was to somehow salvage her old face. Not replicating it completely, of course. She still needed to be beautiful, and her original face certainly hadn't been. She just wanted to recapture something of its look.

Minerva's wide, innocent doe-eyed look would never do. She made her face narrower and longer on the screen, sharpening her chin and making it more pronounced. Her cheekbones shifted higher under the skin.

Not bad so far.

She made her full, childlike lips thin, her eyes slightly smaller. She completely replaced her nose, creating an elegantly aquiline one instead. Her eyes were still too round. Min made them narrower, and shifted their outer corners up. Perfect.

Nobody would be intimidated by blue eyes. They were much too pretty. Min eliminated all traces of the blue from her eye color, as well as all the silly sparkles. When she was finished, they were a dull, flat gray: the color of metal, or storm clouds.

Finally, she could get rid of her ridiculous hair! She certainly could not abide her current wavy, tousled bombshell look. Min wanted her hair to be completely uninteresting, as people should be focusing on her face instead.

She chose a basic style: long, stick-straight locks parted down the middle, with no kink or wave to them at all. As for the color, she chose a medium-dark chocolate brown color that wouldn't stand out. It was a bit lighter than her natural shade, which had been almost black.

For a finishing touch, which would really add to the terror effect, Minerva decided that her upper teeth would be filed down until they were sharp, almost like fangs.

Min couldn't wait until the day when this would be her real face. Like everything else she did, it was absolutely perfect.

* * *

Min herself was allowed to approve the ceramic skeleton after it was completed. She picked up one of the bones. It was as light as a piece of paper, it seemed, yet hard as a diamond. They were a strange gray color, but it didn't matter, as nobody would ever see them. In fact, it gave Minerva a creepy feeling inside for some reason, looking at them herself.

When the day came, Min found that she wasn't even the slightest bit apprehensive. She had reviewed the process with her surgeons over and over, and they seemed to understand it all. She undressed in the small hospital room and put on a gown, waiting for the orderlies to come.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Min called. Much to her surprise, it was Max who bounded into the room.

She practically tackled Min in a hug, squeezing all the air out of her lungs. Max held her like that for a long time, then pulled away and kissed her on the cheek. Tears were forming in Max's eyes. Minerva was emotionless as usual.

"I sincerely hope that this isn't goodbye, Min," Max whispered.

"I don't think it will be, Max," she said, trying to comfort her friend. Minerva herself did not fear death, but she'd feel bad if the surgery didn't work out and Max was sad.

"I have to go now," Max said quickly, and hurried out.

Several doctors and orderlies entered the room after her. Min offered her arm, and they injected it with the knockout drugs. As her eyelids drooped, Minerva wondered if this would be the last time she ever closed them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that's a long chapter. But there's a lot of stuff there. I probably forgot something important.


	17. Specials

**Part III: Getting Revenge**

“Holy water cannot help you now.

See, I’ve had to burn your kingdom down.

And no rivers, no lakes, can put the fire out!

I’m gonna raise the stakes; I’m gonna smoke you out.”

-Florence + the Machine, “Seven Devils”

 

**SPECIALS**

It was a few weeks before Minerva fully regained consciousness again.

She was vaguely aware of many hands: touching her, poking her, prodding her.  But she couldn’t speak, couldn’t open her eyes, couldn’t exactly get to the point where she was able to _do_ something.  It was kind of like when she woke up before she wanted to: half asleep, knowing that she should sit up but wasn’t ready to yet.  Sometimes, a blinding white light would explode across her vision, but she couldn’t cry out in pain and shock.  Then everything would quickly go black again.  Min could feel that she was in a bed, and yet it was like she wasn’t there at all.

* * *

When Minerva finally did wake up, her mind was assaulted by millions of incoming data at once.  She could feel every synthetic fiber of her sheets.  She could hear footsteps and conversations from above her, below her, and all around her.  She could smell way too many things to even make sense of.  It was what she had always known as the hospital smell, yet now she was able to tease apart every distinct odor that contributed to it.

Minerva opened her eyes.  She could tell how far away the ceiling was, but it was like looking at it through a magnifying glance.  Every pore, every imperfection of the ceiling tiles was visible with startling clarity.

Amongst the din of all the sounds entering her ears, Minerva could pick out a small, insistent beeping.  She turned her head to the left and right and saw several blinking monitors.  She stirred underneath her covers some, and the rubbing of her skin against the sheets made an unexpected harsh, scraping noise.

She would definitely need to learn to tune some of this out.

When she had moved, Minerva felt a small tugging on her skin in several places on her body.  She kicked off her covers and saw what the blinking, beeping monitors were: she was hooked up to them by various sensors and electrodes, ready to alert her surgeons if her body somehow didn’t take to the new operation.  She sat up with no effort whatsoever, and looked down to see that she was wearing a blue hospital gown.

Presently, the door to her room slid open, revealing several of her doctors, and behind them, eyes wide and hands over her mouth, practically bouncing up and down, was Max.  They must have come when they had seen that Min had woken up, since she was undoubtedly under video surveillance. 

As the doctors filed into the room, Max pushed past them and sprinted over to Min.   She stopped short a few feet away from the edge of the bed, still not saying anything.  Minerva, never a master of social graces, didn’t know what to say either.  She studied her friend’s face.  It looked exactly the same, even though Min was so different now.

But something was off.  When the door had first slid open and Max came running over, she had seemed…relieved, because Min had made it through a risky experiment?  Joyful, since they were about to be reunited?  But then, Max had frozen dead in her tracks.  The look on her face now was different: startled, deer-in-the-headlights eyes, and trembling lips.  Her heart, which Min could easily hear, sounded like a jackhammer.

Fear.  That’s what it was, Min finally realized.  Her childhood best friend was _afraid_ of her now.

That didn’t feel very good.

“Is it really you, Min?” Max asked tentatively, in a high, squeaky voice.  It probably would have been barely audible to anyone else.

“Yes, of course it is, Max,” Min answered, and promptly jumped a little at the sound of her new voice, which sent the blinking and beeping machines into a frenzy.

It wasn’t her own: the sound had resonated strangely in her nose and throat, coming from deep within her chest.  Min had to admit, hearing it for the first time made her own hairs stand on end.

Max gasped out loud at the sound of it, too.  A strange whimpering sound was coming from Max, too high for anyone else to hear.  Max probably didn’t even realize she was doing it.  But it was a terrible sound.

One of Min’s doctors finally broke the awful silence by clearing his throat.  They were all assembled in chairs around her bed, now.  At least they weren’t afraid of her.  They had all seen it before, unlike Max.

“Well, Doctor, first of all, we would like to thank you for your excellent instruction,” he said.  “The operation itself went quite smoothly.  You prepared us well, and your directions could not have been more clear.”

“Thank you,” Min said, and smiled.  Max gasped quite loudly again, then quickly looked down when Min turned towards her.  It took a few seconds for Min to realize that it was her teeth, this time.  Min bit down on her lower lip a little, feeling their sharp points.  She just wanted to get out of the bed and _see_ herself, dammit.  But she had to be polite to her surgeons, of course.

“The next few weeks were rather a different story,” another doctor continued.  “Just to confirm, this is the first time you’ve regained consciousness, correct?”

“Yes.  I think there were some moments where I was partially…aware, but this is the first time I’ve been able to open my eyes, and the first instance of regained motor control.”  Her new voice actually _hurt_ somewhat.  Like everything else, she would need to get used to it.  “It’s been a few _weeks_ since my operation?”

“Yes, Dr. Cable,” her main surgeon answered.  “You hit a few rough spots where we thought that your new nervous system wasn’t taking.”  He took a deep breath and looked down.  “There were some moments where we thought you were completely gone,” he said quietly.  “But all of our examinations showed that your vital signs were still good, so all we could do was wait and see what happened.  We were extremely relieved to hear you speak to Maxamilla for the first time.  It would appear that you are still fully yourself.”  He smiled warmly at her.

“Thank you, you did a wonderful job,” Min said softly.  She took a moment to ponder how she actually had almost _died_ , and was extremely glad that she didn’t.  To think, that she had actually wanted that twice before.  Min shuddered.

Max, apparently braver now that the shock had worn off, slowly reached out and touched Min’s hand, which was resting atop the bedsheet.

“Aaahhh!” Max yelped, and quickly pulled her hand away.  “Min, you’re burning up!”

“Ah yes,” one of the surgeons piped up.  “Your super-accelerated metabolism makes it necessary for your body temperature to run higher than normal.  It took us a while to figure out how that all would work, without denaturing your proteins, but we did it.”

“You are brilliant,” Min complimented him, still flinching a bit at her voice.

“And now, I’ll leave you alone for a few moments,” he said, and the doctors began to stand up and leave, one by one.  “But please,” he continued, “We would like to have a full physical examination performed on you later today, mainly to test your reflexes.  Please ping one of us when you are ready.”

“Of course,” Min answered, and she and Max were left alone in the room, the door sliding shut behind him.

It was a little more bearable now that Max’s initial fear had worn off.  But still, she seemed wary.

“It’s still me inside, Max,” Min said.  “I remember everything, right up until the moment the anesthesia set in.  I haven’t lost anything.” Min knew that this all must be a shock for Max, and was trying to comfort her.

“Yeah, except for your voice!  And your face!” Max blurted out.  She looked about to cry.

Min reached out to touch her friend, then shrank back.  She didn’t want to make her more upset.

“I know, Max,” she said.  “To tell you the truth, my voice shocked me a bit at first too.  But we’ll get used to it.  And actually, that face wasn’t really me.  I hated it, honestly.  I miss my real one.”

“Yeah, I noticed that…” Max began.  “Why did you give yourself such a pointy chin?  It’s almost just like Ugly days!”  Max began to giggle, partly out of nervousness, but some of it was genuine.

“You’re right, it kind of is!” Min tried to join in, but she was unable to make the high-pitched, feminine sounds.  Instead, it kind of sounded like choking, so she stopped.  They had made her voice sound more commanding, downright frightening, even, but Min wondered what other vocal capabilities she had lost.  “I actually tried to look a little like my old self, glad you noticed.”  Of course Max would notice.  That was why they were best friends.

Max extended both her arms.  Min leaned into them, doing the same.

It was probably the most awkward hug she had ever put up with.  But this was Max, the only person who she ever liked hugging!  There was a lot of hesitation, and when they finally did embrace, it wasn’t warm, solid, and real.  They just uncomfortably sat there with their arms draped around each other.  Min could smell the soap that Max had used that morning, and the synthetic, chemical scent of her clothes.  She could hear Max’s heartbeat loud and clear, and feel constant tremors moving through her body.  Was Max shaking, or had she just never felt all this before?  Max seemed so, so small, and extremely fragile.  There had never before been such a size difference between them.  Before they pulled apart, Min reflected on how she could have, in that second, crushed Max in her arms and killed her.

* * *

After Max left, some orderlies came by to detach Min from the machines (the doctors, after a quick look at her, had determined it safe).  Min finally climbed out of the bed.  When she did so, she felt completely weightless.  Not like she had a hard time getting herself up before.  It was just that now, there wasn’t even the slightest sense of physical effort involved.

Min put on her interface ring, which someone had kindly left in the room for her, and finally changed the wallscreen into a mirror.  She let her gown fall to the floor, and looked at her new self for the first time.

Her new face, exactly as she had created it on the morpho software, looked back at her.  Her dull gray eyes with their upward angle, her pointed nose, all of it was perfect.  She was quite a bit taller than she ever had been before.  Her body was extremely muscular, but not in a way that was big and bulky.  She was as lithe and lean as a wildcat, and looked just as deadly, with her sharp fingernails and teeth.

It was odd of her to think this, Minerva knew that.  But this was the first time in her life that she really saw herself as beautiful.

* * *

After her examination, Min put on some normal clothes and then was discreetly transported out of the hospital.  The doctors testing her were all quite astounded by her physical capabilities and reflexes, as was Min herself.  It was absolutely a thrill, seeing what exactly what she could do now.  Although she had come up with the operation and techniques, Minerva had to admit that her surgeons had done a very nice job.  She was pretty much perfect, and that meant that now, she could begin making others like her.

The hovercar she was riding in stopped in front of her old rowhome in the suburbs, a pit stop before she was to move into her new quarters at Special Circumstances Headquarters.

It was odd, being back.  Minerva had really only stopped here to salvage whatever personal belongings she might want before she moved out.  All of the furniture and rooms seemed painfully small, and Min wondered how she had ever lived here before.  The downstairs was all pretty generic; nothing worth saving here.  Min wasn’t really a sentimental person, and didn’t like keeping unnecessary clutter around; hence, an almost lack of personal objects.

She climbed the stairs to her bedroom, with Max, who had come along to help out, right on her heels.  Thankfully, Max was more at ease with her now, some of the shock having worn off.

As Min went through all the stuff in her walk-in closet, most of it went right into the recycler.  Her body was completely different now, after all, and none of the clothes would fit anymore.  Just like when she moved into New Pretty Town, the only things that Min wanted to keep were all of her sports jerseys, especially the one she had worn when she won that first world championship match.  She didn’t know what she would ever do with it, just that she could never bear to unceremoniously dump it with everything else.

Soon, Minerva was standing all by herself in the huge empty closest.  The sun was streaming in through the closet’s one tiny window, and the scene looked extremely desolate, empty and bare, just as her heart was now.

“Min!”  Max called from out in the bedroom.  “Don’t you want to get going?  We’re all done, right?”

“Yes, just hold on a second…” Min answered.  Her Special vision had caught something sparkling in the corner of her closet.  What was it?  Min walked over and bent down to see.

It was Az’s heart pendant.  Before she walked out, Min picked it up and slipped it into her pocket.

* * *

Her accommodations in the newly completed Special Circumstances Headquarters were located in a secluded corner of the building, as far away from everyone else as possible.  Her apartment consisted of a bedroom with a small bathroom attached.  That was all she needed: a bed, a dresser, a hole in the wall, a wallscreen, a recycler, and a shower, sink, and toilet.  Minerva couldn’t stand frivolity.  Her room was decorated in muted pastel colors, everything almost white, really.  There weren’t any windows, since it was underground.

Max helped her unpack everything she had brought with her.  Minerva didn’t want Max seeing that she had brought the locket.  Minerva herself wasn’t really sure why she kept it, even.  When Max had left, Min tossed the locket into one of her dresser drawers.  Soon, it would become buried under everything else, and stay sitting on the bottom for many more years.

* * *

Minerva lay on top of her bed, exhausted.  She wasn’t physically exhausted, of course, just mentally.  It had been an event-filled day, after all.  And tomorrow wouldn’t be any different.  There was a lot of Special Circumstances business to be taken care of, mainly, filling the barracks with more Specials.  The program was far from established yet.

But there was one more thing she needed to do.

Minerva took a walk to the hangar, and climbed into the cockpit of one of the new Special Circumstances hovercars.  She knew the coordinates that she punched into the positioning system by heart.

Her hovercar descended silently onto the grass in front of the rowhome.  It was dark out, and warm yellow light poured out of the windows.

After a quick look into the downstairs, Min determined that they must be upstairs.  She looked up the length of the outside wall, her eyes focusing on her target: one of the windows.  Minerva was wearing a sneaksuit: a rare technology that she had negotiated would now only be used by Special Circumstances.  Its scales shifted to match the texture of the house as she climbed.  She wasn’t going to bother knocking on the door, of course.  They would never answer.

Climbing was effortless.  Her hollow bones probably were what made the greatest difference.  Soon, Minerva was sitting on the outside windowsill.  Still invisible in the dark night, she took a deep breath and turned her head to look inside.

Maddy and Az, whom the city interface listed as married now, were sitting together in their room, apparently watching a movie on the wallscreen.  The simple scene of contentment, intimacy, and warmth gave Min a nasty sort of pang in her chest.  She would never have this, now.

Min pulled off her mask and hood and knocked softly on the windowpane.  Az and Maddy jumped right up, spinning around toward the noise, the terror on their faces evident.  The look on Min’s face said, _Let me in right now before I break in._

Az walked over and opened the window.  “Oh, Minerva Cable,” he said, his voice filled with an annoying, pitying sadness, contrary to his obvious fear.  “What have you done to yourself now?”

Minerva climbed into the room, and he shut the window behind her.  “I only came here tonight for one reason, Az,” she said.  “I don’t believe we ever said a proper goodbye, and I don’t like leaving any unfinished business.  Loose ends are one of my greatest pet peeves.”

Maddy, who up until this moment was frozen in fear and shock, said in a trembling voice, “So, you actually got it to work?  I must admit, Minerva, that I thought you were a complete quack when was listening to your ideas.”  She laughed a humorless, nervous laugh.

“Oh, Maddy,” Minerva said.  “When will you ever learn to stop underestimating me?”  She smiled widely, showing every one of her pointed teeth.  The reaction from Maddy and Az was absolutely perfect.

“All I want to say to you, Az, is this,” Min said, turning directly towards him.  She was much taller than both of them, now, and it felt good.  “I agree with you: maybe we weren’t right for each other, after all.  But you know what?” she said, her voice growing stronger, the razor in it becoming even more sharp.  “I would really have appreciated some honesty from you.  We could have worked it out.  It didn’t have to end like that, Az.  You’ve hurt me more than you could possibly imagine!”  she shouted, and strode back over to the window, at a speed no normal human could ever manage.

“Look, Minerva,” he said, as she opened the window back up.  “I know you’ve obviously got some serious issues, but—“

Minerva, already on the outside ledge, slammed the window shut, cutting him off.  She half-climbed, half-fell back down the wall, then sat down on the grass, panting in anger and frustration.  She shivered in the cold night.

A strange burning sensation had come to her eyes.  Min blinked them hard a few times, then started rubbing them, but it didn’t go away.  What was wrong with them?

Then Minerva remembered: it was her own modification idea.  How could she have forgotten?  Her tear ducts had been significantly inhibited.  Specials were designed to show no semblance of weakness.

She had already cried her last tears.


	18. Missing

_“Well, I’m off to work now.”_

_“See you there, love.”_

“Dr. Cable?”

Min jumped a little in her desk-chair at the sound of her name. Someone was at the door to her office.

She quickly silenced the conversation she was listening to, and closed out of the window on her wallscreen. “Come in,” she said, hoping she didn’t look too visibly flustered. The office door slid open.

“I have the latest data reports, Doctor,” said the Special who entered.

“Thank you,” she replied, and quickly transferred the file from his work tablet to her own. She cursorily scrolled through what he had given her: the most recent statistics on the Special operation, which had been performed a great many times in the last couple of months.

Minerva looked up from the screen. The Special was still standing awkwardly in front of her desk. “You can leave now,” she said, giving him a look.

“Yes, yes, of course, Doctor!” he said quickly, and hurried out. The office door slid shut behind him.

Minerva didn’t want anybody to know that she constantly spied on Maddy and Az, of course. Special Circumstances was technically allowed to listen in on whatever they wanted to; such was the business. Minerva wasn’t even sure why she did it, even. Did she like nasty, empty feeling that it gave her? Was she that much of a masochist? Possibly. She _had_ been an athlete, after all.

A lot of important things had happened of late. Special Circumstances was now a legitimate and powerful organization, with a growing army of members. Anyone who worked for it was carefully observed and selected, based on natural resistance to the pretty operation. The surgery technique had been perfected. Not that there was anything wrong with Min herself. It was just that the operation became easier and easier each time she did it.

Max had been changed, of course, and now lived in an apartment in HQ close to Min’s, along with her husband. (All of the younger, single Specials were confined to simpler barracks in the outlying buildings.) It didn’t take much convincing from Min for Max to beg to become Special. Once she heard how wonderfully clear and beautiful every single second was, she was practically begging for Minerva to give her the operation. Max was known by her comrades as Subcommander Feaster now, the only position that was lower than Minerva herself.

Most of the new Specials were chosen from the latest batch of older new pretties, who were beginning to study careers. Luckily, most of them were too young to remember Minerva’s days of fame.

That was another important thing that she had done: Min had gone into the city interface and blocked any information on her previous life from her fellow Specials. Perhaps if they searched hard enough, they would find some scraps of information, but it would be quite difficult. All of the newsfeed clips chronicling her soccer victories and defeats, as well as her highly publicized breakdown, and even the Morphological Congress, had been made practically untraceable. With some regret, Min had also officially resigned from the Pretty Committee. Minerva knew she could never completely delete that old life, and all of the joys and pains that went with it, but that was what she wanted to do. If she were to lead these people, they must see no sign of her faults and weaknesses. In fact, only Max and a few of her closer friends even knew her first name, and only Max called her by it, although never in the presence of their underlings. She was Dr. Cable now, and that was it. A few of the older officers and subcommanders might remember the name and draw some connections, but if they had any speculations, they didn’t dare voice them.

* * *

Max sat down next to Minerva on the edge of the bed in Min’s apartment. It was the end of the day, and both were trying to come as close as they possibly could to relaxation. Max sighed and put her arm around Min. “Do you ever miss it? Being pretty, I mean?” Max asked her.

“No, of course not,” she snorted. “What a preposterous idea, Max. Why, do you?”

“No,” Max said tiredly. “But…sometimes, I miss your blue eyes.” She looked off, lost in thought.

Minerva looked away from her. “I don’t,” she said tersely.

* * *

Once Max had left, Minerva turned on her wallscreen, opened up the city interface’s exclusive listening-in channel, and keyed in the address of Maddy and Az’s house. The conversation that it was picking up from that dwelling immediately caused Min to sit up straight, all senses on the alert. Maddy’s voice came first, sounding quite concerned:

“Wow, Az. I’ve never noticed anything like them before. What do you think they could possibly be?”

The sound of Az inhaling slowly could be heard. “I have no idea, Maddy…wait, I remember something!” His voice took on a more urgent tone. “Do you remember Minerva Cable?”

“Of course I do. How could I possibly forget her?” Min could practically hear the eye-roll in Maddy’s words. “I wonder what she’s been up to lately…looks like she finally got that wacked idea of hers seen to completion.”

“True, but that’s not important now,” Az said hurriedly. “What I remember is this…Well, one night, we were doing our independent research, and she was acting really strange, as she usually did.” Another nasty-feeling pang went through Min as he said this. “But there was one thing she said…oh, how could I have forgotten! She said…that she thought the operation did something to people’s brains.”

There was a pause. “And you believe her, Az?” Maddy said derisively.

“Well…we can’t be certain, but she _was_ pretty damn smart, even if she was insane.” Why were they speaking about her in the past tense, as if she didn’t even exist anymore? Minerva tried to not let her annoyances cloud her concentration as she continued listening.

Maddy and Az continued to chatter excitedly: the thrill of scientific discovery, the verge of a breakthrough. Min herself knew the feeling well, by now.

“Well, what do you know, Maddy?” Az said eventually. “She was right. This is definitely caused by the operation.” The fear and dread in his voice was evident.

Min continued listening to them a while more. It wasn’t too long before they finally made the critical connection between the negatives: the citizen’s jobs.

Az and Maddy knew the secret of the operation now. This could not continue.

Minerva picked up her tablet and immediately sent a high-alert voice-ping to her most trusted colleagues. It looked like Special Circumstances had finally gotten its first business.

* * *

Minerva and her subcommanders sat around the conference table in the briefing room, along with the officers that had been selected for this small mission. “You understand your task?” she concluded. “Tomorrow morning, at 0500 hours, you are to land at the residence of Az and Maddy. No violence please; just intimidate them. Say whatever you want, really. Just be sure to give them this ultimatum: Stop all research on the matter entirely, or they will have their medical licenses taken away. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Doctor,” came the murmured responses. The meeting broke up.

* * *

 Minerva leaned back in her desk-chair, scrolling through all her pings. She hadn’t checked up on Maddy and Az in about two weeks. As Special Circumstances continued in its evolution, her volume of work had finally piled up, leaving no time for such pursuits. Suddenly, her office made the special sound that alerted her to someone at the door.

“Come in,” she said.

“Doctor! We just received an emergency ping from the wardens,” the very agitated Special relayed breathlessly.

“So? What is it?” she snapped.

“It’s…it’s…” the Special stammered. “It’s Maddy and Az! They’re…missing, gone, whatever. But it appears they’ve run away!”

Minerva inhaled sharply and jumped to her feet in about a split-second. She clenched her fists, the lethal fingernails digging into her palms, the delicately interwoven nerves there screaming out in pain. She did her best to set her face in an expressionless mask. She wouldn’t scream, she wouldn’t…

“Doctor?” the Special asked nervously, looking at her sideways. “Are you quite alright?”


	19. Crims

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, dear readers (if there are any of you left)! I am so sorry that it has been months and months since my last chapter. Adult life is…busy and stressful. But I started this story when I was sixteen and I WILL finish it, dammit! If you are still a reader of this story…I hope that you enjoy this long chapter. More shall be coming, now that I am back into the groove with the whole writing thing.
> 
> Love, Fanna

**CRIMS**

Minerva sat in her desk chair, staring sullenly at the four walls of her small office, threatening to fall in and crush her. She glanced at her workscreen. It read 17:28. A suitable time to leave and go eat dinner by herself, yet again, after another long day of doing pretty much nothing.

Min took the lonely trek back to her suite and sat heavily on her bed once she got there. She took a deep inhale and let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

Thirty years. That’s how long she had spent looking for Maddy and Az. Thirty long years of…what, exactly? Making more Specials, but mostly scouting missions, satellite sweeps, all of which turned up absolutely nothing. They had searched all up and down the Pacific Coast, going as far inland as the Rocky Mountains, because Min was fairly certain that Maddy and Az couldn’t cross the Continental Divide on hoverboards. Nothing, every time.

And meanwhile, the runaways kept disappearing. Uglies, without variation, because of course bubbleheads would never gather the courage to leave, and even if they did, the idea of one venturing across the wilderness was laughable. Minerva had no doubts that Maddy and Az were probably gathering these runaways, teaching them the secrets of the Operation. Every time another ugly left, the threat only got bigger. Who knew when it would spread to the cities themselves?

Thirty years of fruitless searching. It didn’t really show on Min physically, except for some subtle wrinkles and maybe a few gray hairs, results of minor operations so that she wouldn’t look twenty-seven years old forever. But the truth was, it was wearing away at her mentally. Thirty years spent alone, with only one real friend (she didn’t see Dr. Valen much anymore). Thirty years spent sitting in her office pretending to do something useful, while her Specials were only getting more and more restless, the lack of action causing pent-up frustrations that could explode at any moment.

* * *

The next morning, Minerva awoke at 0400 hours, like she always did, got dressed in her usual outfit of trousers, a dull shirt, and sensible shoes, then pinned her hair into its perpetual style (parted down the middle and then pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck). She ordered her coffee from the hole-in-the-wall, and then slipped her labcoat on before she headed out.

When she got to her office, someone was waiting for her outside the door.

She eyed the Special warily, then let her office flash her eye. The door slid open, and she beckoned him inside. “Sit down,” she told the agent, and then settled into her desk-chair.

“Well, what is it?” Min snapped impatiently when the Special didn’t speak first.

“Um…I suppose it’s not that exciting, Doctor…” he stammered. Min gave him an irritated glare. “I just thought you might want to know…four Uglies ran away last night. You know that’s a…er…somewhat regular occurrence, becoming more so in the past couple years. It’s just that…no group of this size has ever run away before. I thought you might find that interesting.”

Min considered what he said for a moment. The first group of a decent size to leave together. That meant it must have been a plot, somehow. They must have run away for a reason...but why? This could be their big lead. She could feel it. At last…

“I’ll consider an investigation,” she said nonchalantly, trying not to let the fire that was now igniting inside her show on the outside. “Let me see the suspects?” she asked him, extending her hand. He handed her the work tablet he was carrying, their profiles pulled up already. Four Uglies: Ho, Ryde, Astrix, Croy…

“Hmm…” she sniffed. They were all from the same dorm. Interesting. Again, a unique occurrence…

“Send me that data,” she ordered him. “You are dismissed now.” The Special got up and left.

About thirty seconds later, Min’s work tablet buzzed, signifying that he had done it. She pulled up the four Uglies again, unsure of where to start.

Well, they were definitely members of a gang or something. All in the same dorm? Running away together? Min tapped her tablet, bringing up the city interface. Their location patterns, betrayed by their interface rings, as well as all those stupid little pings that Uglies and bubbleheads sent all the time, showed that these four were, in fact, very closely intertwined. Min’s breathing quickened. It wasn’t just these four, although they had actually run away…there was a girl, Shay, involved as well. But the one who was the most interesting, the one who they communicated the most with, the one who was always there at their little gatherings…was a boy, named Zane. Yes, definitely the ringleader. Minerva sent his profile to one of her underlings, as well as the message: “Bring this one down to HQ for questioning, at precisely 1100 hours tomorrow morning.”

Then, Min got up out of her chair and left the office, excitedly pacing an empty corridor. She needed a moment. There had been no real rhyme or reason to the runaway uglies before, but this… _this_ was something. And to think, today had begun so ordinarily.

* * *

“We have the subject in the building, Doctor, and he’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

Min sat up in her desk chair, always startled when she was deep in thought and her office spoke to her. She replied: “Anything to tell me about him, to prepare myself?”

The Special gave a harsh, razor-like laugh through the soundsystem. Laughing was something they were all bad at. “Oh, he’s a little fucker, this one. Playing all tough, won’t say a word to the wardens.”

“Oh,” Minerva said mildly.

“But I’ve no doubt you can get him to talk, Doctor.”

Minerva gave a satisfied sniff. Of course she could.

“Oh, and something else…it looks like he unfortunately wasn’t our discovery. The dorm minders already knew about this bunch, and him being the leader.”

“What? Then why did they not report to us immediately!” Min said angrily, a bit miffed at this development.

“I don’t know, Doctor. A notice will be sent to them for future reference.”

The door to her office slid open right on schedule.

The recalcitrant ugly was being dragged by two Special escorts, who plopped him into the seat in front of her desk and immediately scurried out.

The boy glared at her from under a mop of hair that badly needed cutting. “Hello, Zane,” Minerva said, giving him a smile.

Perfect. His “tough” face immediately crumpled and gave way to fear at the sight of it, if only for a second. He wasn’t nearly as strong as he thought he was.

“I’m Dr. Cable,” she continued, reaching out a hand. She didn’t expect him to shake it, of course. He was far too scared of her. The gesture was only to unnerve him even more.

She rested her chin on her hands. “Why do you think you are here, Zane?” Minerva said calmly.

No answer. Zane only set his mouth in a firm line, contrary to the obvious fear in his eyes. “Well, how about I help you out a bit?” Minerva smiled again. “I’m sure you would like to see Croy, Ryde, Ho, and Astrix again.”

Perfect. At the mention of those names, a look of pain crossed Zane’s face. Of course he missed them, was worried about them, whatever. It didn’t really matter.

“I’ll never betray my friends,” he said hoarsely.

Minerva improvised some more. “What if I told you they were in great danger, Zane? And we were the only ones who can save them. But not, of course, without your help.”

“They know what they’re doing. They don’t need your help,” Zane answered, still glaring.

“Ah, but two can play at this game, Zane.” Minerva smiled another razor grin, a small laugh escaping from inside her. Time to unleash the threat. “You don’t _have_ to help us, of course. But…you don’t have to become pretty, either.” The familiar feeling of victory rushed over her at the look of horror on his face.

“That’s right, Zane,” Min continued, her smile growing, her voice becoming stronger. “You see…not all uglies become pretties. You could be made into one of us, instead. Yes, working here could be a good thing for you….” A lie, of course. You couldn’t become Special without the pretty operation first, but he didn’t know that. It worked.

“No…no!” Zane scooted back in his chair, his voice shaking. “I’ll help you! Just…please, no!”

“Ah, I see.” She smiled. “You’d rather be a pretty, then. Very well.” Min cleared her throat. “Let’s not waste any more time, then, shall we? Now, what do you know of your friends’ plans, the ones who ran away?”

“They…they went to a place called the Smoke.” The words came out slowly, painfully. Minerva could see his pathetic emotions easily laid out on his face: the anguish over breaking a promise, then the selfishness that every human possessed. He cared more about his own sorry ass.

“The Smoke. Interesting.” She drew out the name, feeling it on her mouth. She was getting info. Finally. But on the outside, Minerva remained cool and collected as always. “Now…what more could you tell me about this…Smoke? What is it? Why are they going there?”

“They…they don’t want to be pretty. They want to go to the Smoke. It’s…well…I think it’s like a city or something. But it’s somewhere in the wild, and no one gets the operation there.”

Aha! So this was what Maddy and Az had been up to all those years! Naturally. They knew the secret of the operation, so they thought they were doing some great good to society, setting up this little utopia, whatever it was. The “Smoke” had to be them. It had to be. Who else?

And even if it wasn’t her two enemies who founded the Smoke, it needed to be stopped, anyway. A community of free-thinking people? Min forced herself not to shudder at all the possibilities this posed. It could spread, it could destroy the whole order, and then the planet…

Min forced her mind back to the moment. Time to find out more. “Fascinating.” Min nodded, leaning in closer. “And…how exactly did they find out about this…Smoke?”

“Well…we were a group of friends. Six of us.” He spoke quickly, as eager to get this over with as Min was. “We…snuck out to the Rusty Ruins. A lot.”

“Oh, uglies still do that?” Min interrupted him. She suddenly remembered something: hoverboarding, a metal track, falling, a fire on the beach…

She pushed away the thoughts, as quickly and violently as they had come. “I do apologize, Zane. Go on.”

“Well…we met this guy there.”

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah…some guy named David. He hung out in the ruins a lot of nights. He…knew a lot about the wild. We knew he came from…somewhere else. He told us he was from the Smoke. And…he offered to take us there.”

Min didn’t say anything for a few seconds, processing the info. David. That was a weird name. He must have been from another city…Min took a deep breath. She was so close to finally getting what she wanted…she forced herself to not seem too excited.

“Now Zane, dear,” she said, as sweetly as she could possibly manage. “You’ve been extremely helpful to me. But there is one more thing I must know. Where exactly is this Smoke?”

“That…that I don’t know. David was going to lead us there. He didn’t say.”

Minerva let out her breath in a low hiss. _Dammit_ , she thought. Her eyes flicked to the hidden lie detector readout (the office was wired for that purpose). He was telling the truth. Well, there was no harm in pressing a little bit further…

“How did your friends plan to travel to the Smoke, do you know?”

“Yeah…David said he would take us there, and that most of the journey was on foot or hoverboard. But…he said that there was one spot where we got help…rangers from some other city.”

Interesting…the nearest city was…no. Not that one, the site of her humiliation all those years ago. Well this was just perfect…

But Min knew that the boy had finally spilled all his secrets. No matter what he thought about himself, Zane was still so innocent, so easy to read…

“Wait! I forgot!” Zane blurted, terrified at the thought of hiding something from her now. “One night in the ruins, David drew this map of how to get to the Smoke, and I copied it…I don’t have it right now, though.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright, Zane,” she said reassuringly. “Just give the map to your dorm minders when you find it, and have them send it to me.”

“Yes, yes, of course!” he said hurriedly.

“Well, Zane,” Min concluded, patting his shoulder. “You’ve been a great deal of help to me.” She tried her best to give a nice smile. “Now we have what we need to find your friends,” she lied. “But…tell me one thing I’m confused about, please? Why did you not run away with your friends, earlier?”

Zane looked down, blushing for shame. “I…I got scared. I didn’t want to go the Smoke as bad as the others. I didn’t want to leave behind everything I knew…my friend Shay felt the same way. She was supposed to go but stayed, too.”

Shay…Min made a mental note to watch this one, as well.

“Well, I would like to thank you, Zane, for all your help. See? Now that wasn’t so bad. You helped me, and now, I will make sure that you get what you want: turning pretty.” She gave another smile, and the door slid open, revealing Zane’s escorts waiting for him out in the hall.

* * *

Minerva drummed her fingers on her desk. Max was supposed to meet her for lunch in her office today, something they had both planned so that they may see each other once in a while, with their busy schedules and all, and she was four minutes late.

Min was happier than she had been lately, though. The information they had gathered from Zane’s interrogation a few months ago had brought activity back into Special Circumstances.

His map, though, which Minerva had thought would be the golden ticket to finding the Smoke, turned out to be quite crude. Basically all they had figured out was that the Smoke was to the north-east of Columbia, in the Rocky Mountains. Another sweep of the area had been arranged, but once again, it turned up nothing.

Finally, the door slid open to reveal Max, out of breath and wild-eyed. “Urgent information, just in!” she managed.

“What is it?” Min asked impatiently. None of the alerts when straight to her, or else Min would be swamped every day. It was up to her subcommanders to report the most important ones.

“That girl…the suspect! She’s run away, too!”

“You mean Shay?”

“Whatever!” Max said exasperatedly. “She’s disappeared, as of last night!”

Minerva retained her composure, although her thoughts were racing. “Bring up her profile.” She booted up her workscreen, and motioned for Max to join her behind the desk. Max quickly punched some keys, and Shay’s profile in the city interface appeared.

“Hmmm…interesting. Very interesting,” Min murmured as her eyes scrolled over the page. “Her birthday is quite soon…naturally. She’d want to run away before the operation…”

“See who she’s been hanging out with,” Max snapped, who had been peering over Min’s shoulder. “They most likely know something.”

“Well, all of her friends ran away I thought…wait.” The city interface showed that Shay’s interactions in the past couple of months were almost exclusively with one person, with whom no previous contact had been made. “Looks like she made a new friend,” Min said in a slightly amused tone.

“Well…bring her in! Who is it?” Max nearly growled.

“Her name’s Tally Youngblood,” Min answered. “Oh! The two have the same birthday,” she interjected. What a coincidence. “That’s in only a few days…we’ll just pick her up at the hospital when she goes in for the Operation. That will be convenient. I’d like to avoid having Special Circumstances hovercars land in Uglyville, if possible.”

“That’s not soon enough!” Max almost shouted. She had never been as even-keeled, temperament-wise, as Min was.

“And why not?” Min turned away from the workscreen to face Max. “It’s unlikely that she’ll know any more than Zane did, which was hardly useful intelligence. I need to figure out what I’m going to do with her, first. It will be a waste simply interrogating someone again.”

“You’re right…you always are,” Max sighed, looking at the floor.

“We have the facts that we need…except for the most important one: the Smoke’s location,” Min lectured, like she was talking to a littlie. “We’ve done countless sweeps and scouting missions…nothing. Every time. Why can’t we find it?” she asked Max, mainly rhetorically, excited to finally reveal what she had been planning ever since Zane’s group ran away.

“I…I don’t know,” Max said stupidly. “We have the best technology.”

“Yes…but who _does_ manage to find the Smoke, Max?”

“Ummm….the uglies who run away there?”

“Exactly.” Minerva grinned wickedly.

“Oh…so you’re saying…?” Max said, it all finally dawning on her. “You want to send an ugly to go look for the Smoke.”

“Of course. Is it not brilliant? I think that this Tally may be just perfect for it.”

“Why?” Max asked.

“She’s lonely,” Min said simply. “Before Shay, she spoke to…nobody, almost. She had a friend before that—” Min glanced at her workscreen’s data “—some boy named Peris. But he turned three months ago. She must have used Shay to fill the void. Why would she not want to go looking for her missing friend? And if not, I’ll find some way to make her.”

“Wow,” was all Max said, staring at Min in awe. “I will never cease to be amazed by your brilliance,” she said sincerely.

“Of course,” Min said off-handedly, used to admiration since early on in life. “But back to work now, Max. We have a lot to prepare before Tally Youngblood’s visit to Headquarters.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Max said, standing up. “I’ll tell the other officers the plan. Should I call a meeting for later today?”

“Yes, that would probably be good.”

“I’m on it,” Max said, and left the office.

It crossed Min’s mind that they had completely forgotten about lunch, but that hardly mattered at the moment.

* * *

After the meeting, Min retired to her room. She sat down on her bed and went over the plan again, in her head. They would more or less force Tally to go look for the Smoke, probably with the bait of “saving” Shay. David the mystery-man would lead her there, or, if worst came to worst, Tally would just have to follow Zane’s simple map, which should work. It included landmarks that could probably only be found through ground travel, explaining Special Circumstances’ difficulties. And if it didn’t work…Minerva hardly cared about one ugly left dead in the wilderness. They’d find someone else and improve the plan somehow.

There was one part that hadn’t quite been worked out yet, though. Once Tally found the Smoke, she’d need some way to send a signal that wouldn’t be obvious to the people living in the Smoke…

The simplest solution, Min had decided earlier, was a hidden tracker that could be worn somehow. That would make it harder to get lost or destroyed during the journey. She looked at the interface ring on her hand. Something like that. An accessory you could wear all the time that didn’t look suspicious.

Min got up and started rummaging through one of her top dresser drawers, looking for inspiration. A hair clip could fall out easily…no, that wouldn’t do.

Then her fingertips found something cold and hard, in the bottom of the drawer, shoved into a corner.

She pulled out an object she hadn’t thought about in years and years…luckily. It must have been fate which led her hand there. The necklace was perfect for its purpose, as well as beautifully symbolic. There was no better way to house the instrument which would destroy Az’s home.

Minerva stared at the small silver heart in her palm, emotions that had been buried for thirty years threating to well up inside her again and choke her. After all this time, the moment of revenge was finally upon her.

Minerva felt an evil grin slowly spread across her face. “I’ve got you now,” she whispered.


	20. Infiltrator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: this story is my original work, even if the characters aren’t really my ideas, except in this chapter, and in further ones including Tally, the dialogue has been lifted right out of the books. Anything in quotation marks is the work of Scott Westerfeld. Well anyways, this was a really fun chapter to write because it really showcases what this story is all about: playing around with point of view. Enjoy! (If you have the book on hand, it might be cool to read the two stories side by side, just saying.)

“I’m Dr. Cable.”

The girl sitting before her was _definitely_  an ugly. Frizzy, poufy, light brown hair. Too-high forehead. Thin lips. An unattractively small, flattened nose. And lastly, dull, mud-brown eyes that were set too close together, giving her a perpetually squinting expression.

She was Tally Youngblood.

Apparently, Tally hadn’t figured out what was up, yet. “Tally Youngblood,” she answered, like Minerva didn’t already know everything useful about her.

“Oh, I know who you are,” Min said smugly, a smile spreading across her face. She decided to give the dumb girl a little hint that something was up. “You have a problem, Tally.”

“I had kind of guessed that, uh…” It took Min a second to realize that Tally was wondering what to call her; uglies weren’t used to last names.

“Dr. Cable will do.”

“Okay, Dr. Cable,” Tally began, clearing her throat. “My problem right now is that I don’t know what’s going on. So…why don’t you tell me?”

Was the girl really that stupid? “What do you think’s going on, Tally?”

Tally closed her eyes. “Well, that bungee jacket _was_  a spare, you know, and we did put it back on the recharge pile.”

Minerva was not amused. “This isn’t about some ugly-trick.”

Tally sighed and opened her eyes. “No, I didn’t think so.”

Minerva, sick of the bullshit by now, cut to the chase. “This is about a friend of yours. Someone missing.”

“I don’t know where she is.”

Min smiled again. They never “knew.” “But you do know something,” she said conspiratorially.

“Who are you, anyway?” Tally so rudely blurted. “Where am I?”

Min didn’t say any more than what was necessary. “I’m Dr. Cable,” she answered. “And this is Special Circumstances.”

* * *

Now that Tally was finally cooperating, it was time to begin the interrogation.

“You didn’t know Shay long, did you?”

“No. Just this summer. We were in different dorms.”

“And you didn’t know any of her friends?”

“No. They were all older than her. They’d already turned.”

_Of course they did_ , Min thought, chuckling inside her head. It was still hard to believe how stupid Tally was, but even more amusing was how stupid Tally seemed to think _she_  was. “Like your friend Peris?” Min continued.

The expression on Tally’s face at the mention of Peris was priceless. “Yeah, like Peris and me,” she replied, bewildered over the fact that Min knew about him.

“But Shay’s friends didn’t wind up pretty, did they?” Min asked.

Tally took a deep breath, still playing dumb. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“Did she tell you about her friends?”

“We didn’t talk about stuff like that. We just hung out. Because…it hurt being alone. We were just into playing tricks.”

There was no way Min was going to take pity on Tally because of that little sob-story. But still, it made her think: what was it like, being abandoned by your friends because you had such a late birthday? Min couldn’t say.

“Did you know she’s been in a gang?” she asked.

“A gang?” Tally’s widened eyes made it clear that she actually _didn't_  know. “How do you mean?”

“Tally, did you and Shay ever go to the Rusty Ruins?”

“Yeah. Everyone does.”

“But did you ever _sneak out_ to the ruins?”

“Yeah. A lot of people do.”

“Did you ever meet anyone there?”

Tally bit her lip, the last question making her visibly uncomfortable. She attempted to divert the conversation. “What’s Special Circumstances?”

“Tally.” Min said sharply. She wasn’t going to put up with any of Tally’s nonsense.

“If you tell me what Special Circumstances is, I’ll answer you.”

Fair enough. Minerva decided to throw Tally a bone, if it would keep up the decent level of cooperation so far. She leaned back in her desk-chair, looking to the ceiling, searching for words that a stupid little ugly would understand, yet still were vague enough. Finally, she folded her hands and nodded.

“This city is a paradise, Tally. It feeds you, educates you, keeps you safe. It makes you pretty.”

Tally looked up at this, with the expression of a little puppy hoping for a treat. Pathetic.

“And our city can stand a great deal of freedom, Tally. It gives youngsters room to play tricks, to develop their creativity and independence. But occasionally, bad things come from _outside_  the city.”

Minerva narrowed her eyes, getting to the more serious part. “We exist in equilibrium with our environment, Tally, purifying the water that we put back in the river, recycling the biomass, and using only power drawn from our own solar footprint. But sometimes we can’t purify what we take in from the outside. Sometimes there are threats from the environment that can’t be faced.”

Minerva smiled. Explaining her own brilliant ideas was always one of her favorite pastimes. “Sometimes there are Special Circumstances,” she concluded.

“So, you guys are like minders, but for the whole city.”

A grossly simplified explanation. Min resisted the urge to snort. Instead, she nodded and clarified a bit. “Other cities sometimes pose a challenge. And occasionally, those few people who live outside the cities can make trouble.”

Tally’s eyes widened once again, like she had no idea what they were talking about.

“It’s your turn to answer my question, Tally. Did you ever meet anyone in the ruins? Someone not from this city? Not from any city?”

A big, stupid grin filled Tally’s face. “No. I never did.”

Minerva frowned, not fooled in the least. She surreptitiously glanced down at the room’s lie detector readout. The sensors weren’t reading that as a full-blown lie, but Tally was still nervous. She was hiding something.

Minerva looked back up at Tally, giving her the death-stare. It was time to stop being so nice. Tally only gave another stupid smile. Min wanted to slap it right off her ugly face. “Don’t play games with me, Tally. Your friend Shay will never thank you for it, because you’ll never see her again.”

Tally thankfully wiped the smile right off.

“Four of her friends disappeared, Tally, all at once. None of them has ever been found. Another two who were meant to join them chose not to throw their lives away, however, and we discovered a little bit about what had happened to the others. They didn’t run away on their own. They were tempted by someone from outside, someone who wanted to steal our cleverest little uglies. We realized that this was a Special Circumstance.”

Minerva continued. “We’ve been watching Shay since then, hoping she might lead us to her friends.”

The hurt and anger suddenly seemed to break through Tally’s calm and collected mask. “So why didn’t you…you know, _stop_  her!” she blurted.

“Because of you, Tally.”

“Me?” Tally asked incredulously.

Minerva softened her demeanor, in an attempt to seem sympathetic. “We thought she had made a friend, a reason to stay here in the city. We thought she’d be okay.”

That was a lie, of course. They _hadn't_  been watching Tally. At least not until Shay had run away. The truth? They hadn’t tried to stop Shay from running away. At all. In fact, Minerva had _wanted_  Shay to run away. Shay was only the bait, something they could use to send an ugly looking for the Smoke. An ugly who ended up being Tally Youngblood.

“But then Shay disappeared,” Min continued. “She turned out to be trickier than her friends. You taught her well.” If Minerva was going to send Tally on a trip looking for the Smoke, there wasn’t any harm in boosting her confidence.

“ _I_  did?” Tally exclaimed, shocked. “I don’t know any more tricks than most uglies!”

“You underestimate yourself,” was all Min said.

“It’s not my fault,” Tally managed.

“Help us, Tally.”

“Help you what?”

“Find her. Find them all.”

Tally took a deep breath. “What if they don’t want to be found?”

Of course they didn’t want to be found. Min searched for a response. “What if they do? What if they were lied to?”

Good one. Tally had nothing to say to that. She only stared unintelligently in a long and awkward silence. Finally, Tally spoke. “I can’t help you,” she said. “I made a promise.”

That did it. Minerva curled her upper lip back in a snarl, not even making the slightest attempt to mask all her anger and frustration. It was time to drop it. “Then I’ll make you a promise too, Tally Youngblood. Until you do help us, to the very best of your ability, you will never be pretty.” Min spun around in her desk-chair, facing away from Tally.

“You can die ugly, for all I care.” She flicked her interface ring, and the office door slid back open, Tally’s escort waiting for her. Min was done with Tally, for now.

Once Tally was long gone, a ping sounded. It was Max. “How did it go?” she asked in a low voice.

Minerva thought for a moment. “She’ll come around eventually,” was all she said.

* * *

After the Tally ordeal, Min took a walk down to the 3-D printing laboratory. “You scanned the contents of that duffel Youngblood was carrying, right?” she snapped at the Specials working there.

“Of course, Doctor,” one of them said nervously, sensing her pissed-off mood.

“Well? Bring them up!” she demanded.

The Special pulled up the scan on the wallscreen. It looked like just a bunch of random crap…

Minerva zoomed in on the piece of paper. “Well…a handwritten note…” she murmured. “Print it,” she ordered, and a minute later, Minerva was holding a perfect copy of the article in her hands. She strode out of the room with it, not even bothering to say goodbye or thank you.

Minerva didn’t even glance once at the note until she had made it back to her room. Then, she sat down on the bed and read it aloud to herself: 

“Take the coaster straight past the gap,

Until you find one that’s long and flat.

Cold is the sea and watch for breaks,

At the second, make the worst mistake.

Four days later take the side you despise,

And look in the flowers for fire-bug eyes.

Once they’re found, enjoy the flight.

Then wait on the bald head until it’s light.”

Min read it several times more until it was committed to memory. It would probably sound like gibberish to most people, but to Minerva, it was obvious what the note was: more directions to the Smoke. Written in some sort of secret best-friend code, of course. It wasn’t like she and Max had never done anything similar when they were young.

Tally Youngblood’s operation had been cancelled. Min smiled smugly to herself. It was only a matter of time before Tally came crawling back, crying for mercy.

Minerva Cable had been waiting thirty years to hurt Maddy and Az like they had her. She could wait a few more days for Tally.

* * *

On the fourth morning since Tally Youngblood’s initial interrogation, Minerva received a ping. Tally, sounding bedraggled and exhausted: “I’ll do what you want. Just let me sleep for a while.”

Min rolled her eyes and scoffed at the request. There was no way she was going to wait for that. Besides, Tally would be more vulnerable in a sleep-deprived state. She replied: “A car will be sent for you, arriving in twenty minutes.”

Less than an hour later, her office door slid open, revealing a very disheveled Tally: hair a disaster, rumpled clothes, and a face covered in dozens of little red scratches. And it was obvious she had been crying.

Min smiled as pleasantly as she could. “So, Tally. You’ve reconsidered.”

Tally was having none of it that morning. “Yes,” she answered sullenly.

“And you’ll answer all our questions now? Honestly and of your own free will?”

Tally snorted. “You’re not giving me a choice.”

Minerva attempted a smile. “We always have choices, Tally. You’ve made yours.”

“Great. Thanks. Look, just ask your questions.”

Min ignored the attitude for now. “Certainly. First of all, what on earth happened to your face?”

Tally sighed and touched her mangled face with one hand. “Trees,” was all she said.

“Trees?” Minerva raised an eyebrow. A strange and vague response. “Very well. On a more important subject, what did you and Shay talk about the last time you saw her?”

Tally closed her eyes, and Minerva inwardly gloated at her victory. “She talked about going away. Running away with someone called David.”

“Ah, yes, the mysterious David.” Min leaned back in her chair, looking to the ceiling. “And did she say where she and David were going?”

“A place called the Smoke. Like a city, only smaller. And no one was in charge there, and no one was pretty.”

“And did she say where it was?”

“No, she didn’t, not really.” Tally sighed and pulled an unpleasant-looking wad of paper from her pocket. “But she left me these directions.”

Minerva had pulled out the copy of the note, just for this meeting, ahead of time. She pushed it over to Tally’s side of the desk so she could see. Tally studied the perfect facsimile. “We took the liberty of making a copy of that the first time you were here,” Min said.

Tally looked up at her and glared. “Then why do you need me? I don’t know anything more than what I just said. I didn’t ask her to tell me any more. And I didn’t go with her, because I just…wanted…to be _pretty_!” Tally was on the verge of tears by now.

“I’m afraid we find the instructions on the note rather cryptic, Tally.”

“You and me both.”

Min gave Tally a pointed stare. “They seem to be designed to be read by someone who knows Shay quite well. By you, perhaps.”

“Yeah, well, I get some of it. But after the first couple of lines, I’m lost.”

“I’m sure it’s very difficult. Especially after a long night of…trees.” Tally wasn’t the only one in the room who could use attitude and sarcasm. “I still think you can help us, however.”

Minerva opened the ranger kit, filled with supplies for Tally’s journey, on her desk. Tally stared stupidly again at it. “Hey, that’s like the survival stuff that Shay had.”

“That’s right, Tally. These ranger kits go missing every so often. Usually just about the same time that one of our uglies disappears.”

“Well, mystery solved. Shay was all ready to travel to the Smoke with a bunch of that stuff.”

“What else did she have?”

Tally shrugged. “A hoverboard. A special one, with solar.”

“Of course a hoverboard. What is it about those things and miscreants? And what did Shay plan to eat, do you suppose?”

“She had food in packets. Dehydrated.”

“Like this?” Min held up a food packet. Just to spite Tally for not easily cooperating the first time, she had gathered only the most revolting meal available: SpagBol.

“Yeah. She had enough for four weeks.” Tally took another deep breath. “Two weeks, if I’d gone along. More than enough, she said.”

“Two weeks? Not so very far.” Min pulled a plain black backpack from next to her desk and began packing it full of supplies. “You might just make it.”

“Make it? Make _what_?”

Min silently applauded herself, for choosing to reveal Tally’s mission this way. If she had outright told Tally, the girl never would have consented. But she was too far in, now.

Min looked up at Tally, feigning surprise at Tally’s lack of comprehension. “The trip. To the Smoke,” she answered.

“ _Me_?”

“Tally, only you can understand these directions.”

“I told you: I don’t know what they mean!”

“But you will, once you’re on the journey. And if you’re…properly motivated.”

“But I already told you everything you wanted to know. I gave you the note. You promised!”

Minerva shook her head. “My promise, Tally, was that you wouldn’t be pretty until you helped us to the very best of your ability. I have every confidence that this is within your ability.”

“But why me?”

Minerva had had it by now. Some of her frustration escaped. “Listen carefully, Tally. Do you really think this is the first time we’ve been told about David? Or the Smoke? Or found some scrawled directions about how to get there?” she said angrily.

Finally, Tally showed some real fear. That was probably what Min had instantly hated about her: she hadn’t shown enough. Tally turned away. “I don’t know.”

“We’ve seen all this before. But whenever we go ourselves, we find nothing. Smoke, indeed.”

Tally sounded close to tears again. “So how am I supposed to find anything?”

Min pulled the copy of the note towards herself, tracing the lines with her finger. “This last line, where it says to ‘wait on the bald head,’ clearly refers to a rendezvous point. You go there, you wait. Sooner or later, they’ll pick you up. If I send a hovercar full of Specials, your friends will probably be a bit suspicious.”

“You mean, you want me to go _alone_?”

Minerva took a deep breath, trying to control another outburst of annoyance. She turned her eyes to the ceiling again, feeling her mouth curl into a snarl of disgust over Tally’s thickness. “This isn’t very complicated, Tally. You have had a change of heart. You have decided to run away, following your friend Shay. Just another ugly escaping the tyranny of beauty,” she said grandly. Minerva couldn’t believe she needed to explain all this. The girl was obviously an accomplished liar. Min looked back down at Tally. Tears were gathering in her eyes now.

“And then what?” Tally asked.

_Finally_ , Min thought. It was time to showcase the most beautiful, elegant part of the plan. She reached into the briefcase and pulled out the necklace that had been given to her so long ago. The locket design happened to be perfect; the Special Circumstances tech experts had fitted the tiniest tracker into the empty space inside. The only thing that needed to be done now was take Tally’s eye-print.

Minerva pressed on the sides of the heart and it popped open. She handed it to Tally. “Look inside.”

Tally peered into the locket, a stupid expression on her face. “I can’t see anything…ow!”

“The finder will only respond to your eye-print, Tally. Once it’s activated, we’ll be there within a few hours. We can travel very quickly.” She snatched the locket back from Tally and dropped it onto her desk. “But don’t activate it until you’re in the Smoke. This has taken us some time to set up. I want the real thing, Tally.”

Tally sat there like a blob, blinking after the tracker’s flash. “I can’t do this,” she said finally.

“You can, Tally. You must. Think of it as an adventure,” Min said, trying to put some encouragement into her voice, trying a different strategy.

“Please. I’ve never even spent the whole night outside the city. Not alone.” A sob broke through Tally’s voice. Min, never the most empathetic person, ignored it.

“If you don’t agree right now, I’ll find someone else. And you’ll be ugly forever.”

Tally looked up at Min, tears finally streaming down her face. Minerva stared her down.

“I have to think,” Tally said eventually.

“Your story will be that you ran away the night before your birthday. That means you’ve already got to make up for four lost days. Any more delays, and they won’t believe you. They’ll guess what happened. So decide now.”

“I can’t. I’m too tired.”

As a cruel but necessary last resort, Minerva did some finger twitches, turned in her desk chair, and pointed, setting the wallscreen to a magnifying mirror, focused on Tally. All the imperfections of Tally’s face were projected above them: wild hair, red and puffy eyes, bad skin. Tally slowly opened her mouth in pure horror.

“That’s you, Tally. Forever,” Min said mockingly, suppressing an evil grin.

“Turn it off…” Tally moaned miserably.

“Decide,” Minerva commanded, summoning all the razors in her voice.

“Okay, I’ll do it. Turn it off.”

Min flicked her finger, and the wallscreen shut down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did change something minor in the original dialogue. Dr. Cable says that six of Shay’s friends ran away all at once in the book, but all other sources seem to say that there were six in the original group, but only four ran away that time (minus Shay and Zane). So I changed it. (I think it may be Scott’s mistake, honestly…he makes a few logistical mistakes in the series, I think.) The next chapter will be a good one; I’ve been waiting to write it for a long time!! Just be prepared for a long one.


	21. Invasion

“I was talking to you!”

“Mhmm?” Minerva slowly turned towards Max, bringing herself back to the present.

“You’ve really got to stop thinking about that tracker all the time!” Max chided her, half-playfully, half-seriously.

“What’s taking her so long, Max?” Min asked anxiously, not really listening.

Max placed her hands firmly on Minerva’s shoulders and forced Min to face her. “Look,” Max said sharply. “I know we’ve been waiting an eternity for this mission to finally happen. But that’s no excuse, Min. You’ve been downright…subhuman these last couple weeks.”         

It was true. Min had always been a rather obsessive personality, but the advent of the tracker’s signal had made her possibly worst she’d ever been. The tracker was linked through satellite to her own personal work tablet, which would sound an alarm once Tally sent the transmission. Minerva herself had to be the first to know when it happened.

Ever since Tally had left on her journey, the tablet had never left Minerva’s hands.

She literally spent about half of her day staring at the tablet’s screen, the same words blinking over and over in green: “Tracker #1225: Status: Not Found.” Min often fell asleep at night still staring at it, and would wake up to find it on the floor next to her bed (or sometimes hugged to her chest; a little embarrassing).

It was more than two weeks since Tally had left. Tally had mentioned that two weeks was supposedly more than enough time for her to make it to the Smoke from Columbia. Minerva knew that she should probably accept the inevitable: that Tally hadn’t made it, that she had perished in the wilderness somewhere, and that they’d have to find another ugly and start the process all over. But she had a strange feeling that this wasn’t the case…

Minerva took a deep breath, preparing to come up with a response for Max, when Max herself continued: “I know it’s hard for you to admit this Min, but…I think it was a failure.” Minerva couldn’t help but wince slightly at the word. “Tally probably had an accident. She’s dead, Min, or lost in the middle of nowhere and running out of food. Call everyone in for a briefing, and let’s start over.”

“I just…” Min struggled to get the words out, overcome by a choking paralysis. She wasn’t upset over Tally’s very probable misfortune, of course; the little brat had hardly won Min’s affections. It was that nagging sensation which she had no explanation for, that voice telling her that Max was wrong…

Suddenly, Min clasped Max’s shoulders, hard, and stared into her eyes with burning intensity. Max tried to pull away, frightened by Min’s abrupt change. “Just give it one day more, Max,” she said in a low voice, barely audible. “One more day. Then I’ll give up on it.”

“Okay, okay,” Max said nervously, trying to back away, hands poised for self-defense, just barely noticeably. “Let go of me; it hurts.”

“Sorry,” Minerva muttered, and did so, looking down at her own hands. After all these years, she still became unaware her own strength once in a while, annoyingly enough.

“Alright, we’ll wait for twenty-four more hours,” Max said, rubbing her bruised shoulders. “But when that time is up…you’d better call everyone in for a briefing and declare the mission aborted for now. I’m your subcommander, Min. It’s my job, as your immediate inferior, to remind you of reality and hold you back once in a while,” she said sternly, but not unkindly. “Do you promise me that?”

Min managed to smile slightly. “We haven’t made each other promise since we were littlies,” she said wistfully, her mind wandering.

“I’m serious though, Min,” Max said firmly.

“Okay, I promise,” she answered, not meeting Max’s eyes. “One more day, then I’ll give up."

* * *

Min was so violently jolted awake that she nearly fell out of bed. Her work tablet, which had clattered to the floor, was beeping and buzzing. Minerva leapt off of the bed and fell to her knees on the floor, clutching the tablet in both hands. She stared at the blinking, red screen: “Tracker #1225 – Status – Activated.” Coordinates were flashing on a map. She knelt like that, paralyzed, for about ten seconds, heart pounding and hands shaking. Then, Minerva snapped out of it and entered action mode. She stabbed a button on the tablet, transmitting the blaring alarm all throughout Headquarters. Next, Min pressed the intercom button, broadcasting her voice on all the loudspeakers: “All forces ready at hand; prepare for invasion as rehearsed.” (They _had_ rehearsed countless times, of course, for this very occasion: the moment the tracker was activated.) In a few minutes, Min could hear the sound of stomping boots: Specials running in the hall outside, on the floor above her, clambering towards the hovercraft hangar. Min didn’t even bother taking off what she had slept in; instead, she slipped into her gray raw silk Special Circumstances coverall, decorated with all the insignia of her rank as its head, right over her shorts and t-shirt; she pulled on her tall black boots over the pant legs, fastened her utility belt, yanked back and pinned up her hair in its usual style. She did all this with lightning speed; maybe she’d eat and drink something once she’d boarded the hovercar.

Minerva opened her door onto a frenzy of activity outside. She pushed past her soldiers, their shouts of excitement muted by her own pounding pulse. She proceeded in a robotic manner, seemingly on autopilot, having waited for this moment for so long. Minerva strode toward the bay of the most deluxe, comfortable hovercar; reserved only for herself and her subcommanders. She settled into the faux-leather seat and waited for the others, including Max, who plopped into the seat next to her, panting. As soon as everything was ready, the bay doors opened above them and the hovercar ascended, then began to speed towards the coordinates of the tracker’s location. It was earliest morning now, the sun just peeking over the edge of the horizon, turning the night sky gray with dawn.

Min and her subcommanders sat around the table of the cabin in stony, tense silence. Each one was lost in his or her own thoughts, mentally preparing themselves. Minerva was sitting on her hands so that no one could see them shaking. Her stomach was reeling in a most sickening manner (definitely not from airsickness; she’d never suffered from that affliction), and she was resisting the urge to rock back and forth and moan in mental anguish. Min hadn’t seen this much excitement in about three decades, and her nerves couldn’t take it. One thing was for sure: unless they were dead, she would finally face Maddy and Az, finally catch them. They thought they could trick her, escape her? Not a chance. But although she had imagined this moment a thousand times in her head, Minerva suddenly couldn’t bear the thought of it.

When she couldn’t take it anymore, Min unclicked her seatbelt and escaped into the hovercar’s lavatory. Once she was safely hidden, she sunk down onto her knees in the tiny space and vomited into the toilet. Min held her head in her hands, the tremors rolling over her body. This was unacceptable! Who knew how soon she would have to face them? Yet as much as she silently yelled at herself, Min couldn’t settle and regain her cool.

After what must have been at least fifteen minutes, she heard a soft knock on the door and Max’s voice. “Are you okay in there?” Max asked tentatively. Minerva could only manage a groan. Max, who had seen her friend in various sorry states many times before, opened the door onto the sad scene before her. She clicked it shut behind her, and kneeled down next to Min. “Shhhh…” Max whispered, gently rubbing her back and shoulders. “Take a deep breath…in…and out…just focus on that.” Dear god, Minerva thought, what would she do without this woman? After a couple minutes of this, Max passed her a cup of water from the sink and said softly, “You know…I think that all of us are feeling at least a little bit of what you are, but…no one can really understand what you could possibly be going through right now. And I get that. But…as soon as you can, you need to pull yourself together. They need a leader for this operation, and that person would be you.” Max squeezed her again and helped her up, then they both made their ways back out into the cabin. The rest of the subcommanders didn’t look up from their laps, probably out of respect. Maybe Max was right, and they understood Min’s feelings more than she realized.

The next hour or so was more bearable, after Max’s reassurance and continual silent support from the neighboring seat. Min jumped when a voice from the cockpit crackled over the intercom: “Doctor…we’re seeing something up here that may be of interest to you. We’re still a couple miles off from the coordinates, but on the infrared, we’re picking up a large pocket of heat in the side of a rock face…at first we thought it must be an animal’s cave, but it’s much too large and powerful for that…” Min climbed out of her seat and entered the cockpit. “We’d better land and check it out,” she ordered. “We’re still too far away from the coordinates for them to see and hear hovercars, correct?”

“Yes, Doctor,” the navigator answered.

“Then order everyone to land,” Minerva commanded. “I want to check out whatever this is, and I don’t want the rest of the fleet continuing without me. It’s still dawn; we have time.”

The navigator relayed the message on the radio, and soon Min recognized the sinking feeling of descent. The hovercar settled onto the grass, blowing the loose leaves, twigs, and grass into a maelstrom around it, the rest of the fleet following.

Minerva immediately kicked open the side doors and jumped down onto the ground. Other Specials poured out of the hovercars, brandishing weapons. In no time at all, they had the area of suspicion surrounded, waiting for further orders from their leader.

What they had discovered was a very curious scene indeed. The area where the hovercars had landed was an open field, and before them, a sheer cliff face. Yet embedded in the rock appeared to be the front side of a cabin, with a distinctly man-made door and window -- a little house built right into the mountainside. Minerva heard banging inside, and frantic shouts, a man and a woman…she would never mistake those voices. And the smell emanating from the cracks around the door…

Like a woman possessed, Minerva slowly made her way across the five-meter distance to that door, one foot moving in front of the other as if her legs had a mind of their own. Her Specials followed behind, ready to leap to her defense in a nanosecond. Her pulse was pounding in her head again as she raised her fist to knock. After a few raps on the door, Minerva wondered why she had even done that, and with a well-placed powerful kick, she slammed her boot into the door and knocked it down. She barged in, her cohort following.

Once the dust was settled, Minerva gazed at the display before her. An old couple stood clutching each other, faces frozen in absolute fear. It had to be Maddy and Az…but they were nearly unrecognizable. God, they looked _awful_! Faces covered in wrinkles, hair almost white…and the two of them had put on more than a few pounds, especially Az. Min spent a few seconds inwardly gloating over her own slimness and unnaturally youthful appearance. And they were so…ugly. Min didn’t give much thought to it; the two were cosmetic surgeons and obviously had figured out how to undo their facial surgery, for some perverse reason. Why, oh why had they chosen this lifestyle? “How…did you…?” Maddy eventually managed to rasp.

“Ah, Maddy,” Minerva sighed, unable to keep the sharp-toothed grin off her face. “I asked you once when you would ever stop underestimating me.” Min circled around the entwined couple, coming closer and closer with every revolution, the heels of her boots making the most delightfully threatening _thuds_ on the wooden floorboards that the two had used to cover the bare earth. She glanced around the interior of the unusual dwelling. Minerva had to admit…it was beautiful. The cave was filled with various objets d’art and antiques, the walls covered by hangings. The contrast with Min’s own sterile quarters back in Special Circumstances HQ was startling.

“What are you going to do to us? Why are you here?” Az choked.

“We’re on our way to destroy the Smoke, and return all the runaways to their proper cities. I know that it was you two who started that. I mean, who else could it have been?” Minerva noticed the pure delight in her own cruelty creeping into her voice. “It was so fortunate that we managed to bump into you two, though. What a lovely coincidence. Search the house,” she ordered her comrades, then enjoyed the looks of horror on Az and Maddy’s faces as they listened to the banging and crashing: Specials rifling through their personal belongings, making sweeps of their most intimate spaces. Being completely surrounded by Specials, there was nothing that the two of them could do. They were too smart to make any rash moves, and their bodies were weakened from age. “Anything interesting?” Minerva called into the back corridor. “Nope, afraid not. Just a bunch of useless junk and hoarded city crap that we can easily get our hands on back home,” came the reply. “Alright then. Arrest them,” Minerva ordered, then turned back to Maddy and Az.“We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if we have to.” The agents yanked the two apart and bound their wrists behind their backs.

Minerva was a tad disappointed that Az and Maddy weren’t even putting up a good fight. They were too paralyzed by extreme shock and horror to manage more than a few words. “I suppose…we should have known this day would come eventually,” Maddy said sadly, her voice shaking. Then she set her mouth into a thin line and stared directly at Minerva, eyes suddenly glinting with the familiar attitude. “Do what you want with us. There’s nothing you can do that will surprise us anymore. Just please…” Her voice and tough façade suddenly faltered, and she spoke in barely a whisper, tears filling her eyes. “Please…don’t hurt David…”

Minerva’s head snapped up at the mention of that name. She raised her eyebrows. “David? Why, that’s the only actual name we managed to extract from the suspects during our preliminary investigations. David? You mean the one who snuck around in the ruins just outside of our city, luring our children into unspeakable danger, using them as pawns to build your backwards little…project?” Min raised the pitch of her voice, in mock exaggerated surprise. “Why, I would think that you should realize we’d only plan the most…appropriate punishment for him.” Maddy’s head immediately drooped and she let out a sob. Min must have betrayed some confusion at the reaction, because Az stared her down fiercely, then said in a low voice, nearly a growl, “David…is our son.”

Minerva inhaled sharply through her nose, balled her hands into fists at her sides. She couldn’t believe it; the coincidence was just too much. David, the instigator, the one who had been recruiting runaways on a never-before-seen scale…was Maddy and Az’s own son. Why were they wasting time here when the real prize was so tantalizingly close now? What would she do with him? Should she force his parents to watch the inevitable torture and interrogation? The possibilities were endless…

“Let’s move out of here!” Minerva barked to her team. “We have a Smoke and a…David to find.” She grinned maniacally at Maddy and Az, then swiftly turned on her heel and marched out the door. The squad of Specials came right after, dragging the captives with them. Min surveyed the group arrayed before her on Maddy and Az’s “front lawn.” “Waiting for orders, Doctor,” one of the officers said.

Min pretended to think for a moment, looking up, fist under her chin. “Well…we’re destroying the house, of course,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant about it, as if she didn’t care, while forcing herself to not look at Maddy and Az’s faces. “Hold them here,” she ordered to the ones restraining her enemies. “Follow me, and bring fire supplies,” she directed the rest. Min crossed the threshold back into Az and Maddy’s living room. She scanned the sorry scene. The once-picturesque space was now disturbed, littered with broken china and other evidence of the Specials’ barbaric rummaging. Min took a few steps over to the back wall, admiring a marble statuette in the corner and an intricately patterned rug hanging up. She just couldn’t burn _all_ of it…it was too beautiful. Min ran her hand over the rug. “Spray this with flame repellant,” she commanded. “Wait out here for a minute.” Min walked deeper into the house, into Maddy and Az’s hallway, past their kitchen, their toilet…the bedroom was last.

It reeked of straw, which was undoubtedly what the lumpy mattress was made out of. The rustic quilts were in complete disarray, confirming Min’s hypothesis: they had surprised them completely, probably in their sleep. The human scent in the room was too much, and Min’s eyes started to burn with repressed tears, partly of anger, mostly of jealousy and hurt. But weren’t those last two really just the same thing?

Min pulled a firestarter from her utility belt. She squeezed it so tightly in her hand that it wore dents, but she didn’t even notice any pain. It was nothing, compared to what was tearing her chest apart right now. Min turned on the firestarter, the little flame flickering to life. She imagined all the agony she had experienced throughout her adult life, so much worse than the physical kind, being transferred into that flame. She held it up to the bed, and the material ignited. The fire grew and grew into a beautiful red blaze, since quilts and straw were so wonderfully flammable.

Specials didn’t sweat easily, but soon the heat became so blistering that Min could feel it trickling down her body in a most irritating way. She had to leave the room. But the fire couldn’t last forever; the walls were made of stone. She strode back out into the living room, stony-faced. “Everybody, clear out!” she ordered. “And hand me a fire grenade once we get outside.”

One of the officers obliged her wish, and Min activated the grenade, then tossed it behind her through the open door, smirking at Maddy and Az. Immediately, a loud boom sounded, and the capsule of fuel exploded. More red flames licked across the floor and up the walls, visible through the window and open door. “I think we’ll stay here a few minutes more…I decided that we do have time,” Min announced casually. “And oh,” she added, turning towards Maddy and Az’s captors, shock-sticks in hand and activated. “Give those two a zap if they try to close their eyes or look away.”

They watched the blaze consume the house for a couple minutes more. The heat inside grew so great that the glass of the windowpanes shattered with a _pop_ , exploding outward and littering the grass with shards. Min eventually got bored, because Maddy and Az were demonstrating a most _infuriating_ display of dignity. They were silent, their faces noncommittal, but silent tears rolled down their cheeks. Not exactly the show she’d been expecting.

Minerva gestured towards the hovercars. “Let’s move out of here, and continue on to our coordinates,” she announced. Maddy and Az were tossed into the cargo hold of one of the hovercars, and Min and her cohort climbed back into the cabins and took off.

* * *

They didn’t get very far when they decided to stop. The hovercars would remain stationary in the air, while a camouflaged scouting drone would be sent out to scope the scene, to help them figure out how to best attack and find what method would surprise people the most.

Min squeezed into the cockpit to watch the camera feed from the drone, barely able to contain her excitement. The Smoke was…larger than expected. It appeared to be much more planned and organized than Min had given them credit for. There were so many buildings that “streets” could even be determined. The twenty-or-so buildings themselves were rustic but solid and well-constructed, some of them almost as big as an ugly-dorm, although they could only manage one story. This is what she could gather from the methodical sweeps over the area that the drone was completing.

At first, there had been many raggedy-looking people wandering around, but the streets were becoming quieter. The drone pilot turned it off automatic mode, and instead made the hovercam-drone follow a lone Smokey until he reached his destination: one of the large buildings that indeed many of them seemed to be pouring into; whether for breakfast or a town meeting, who knew…or cared. This was absolutely perfect, just what they needed, all of them gathered in once space like this.

Min pressed a button to broadcast herself over the radio system: “Prepare for landing and attack; await further instructions.” And the invasion began.

* * *

“Still no word on our accomplice?”

“I’m afraid not, Doctor,” replied the subcommander next to her.

“Hmmm…most surprising. I wonder what she could possibly be up to.” Minerva was fully prepared to give Tally a real hero’s welcome home, whatever she wanted…a comfortable seat on the best hovercar, perhaps, even though she had taken so damn long.

“Did you find anybody named David yet? He won’t have any city of origin listed, when you look it up,” she reminded.

“No, Doctor,” he replied. “And we’ve cleared out most everyone.” She drummed her fingers on the rough wooden table in frustration.

Minerva was sitting in what was apparently some sort of library, since it contained several worktables, and rows and rows of bookshelves full of Rusty filth. It was the perfect place for their invasion headquarters, though, being the largest building in the settlement, and filled with plenty of chairs and places to put the workscreens of Special Circumstances’ higher-ups.

The invasion hadn’t been too difficult. Having most of them gathered in one building certainly helped, and Min’s strategy had been perfect, everything going to plan. Most of the Smokeys were already subdued, cuffed, and contained by now, besides for a few tricky stragglers. But they shouldn’t be too difficult to catch. Min could smell a couple of the buildings burning, but besides for that, no real damage had been done: only a couple killed or seriously wounded. Special Circumstances was identifying all the runaways, and organizing them into proper groups, in order to send them back to their cities of origin (which turned out to be Columbia for most of them, unsurprisingly). Shay had been recaptured, after putting up a nasty fight, apparently. Things were wrapping up. Except for the small problem of finding Tally and getting the locket back. And nabbing David, which Min was getting less and less optimistic about.

Out of boredom, Min got up and walked over to one of the library shelves and pulled one of the articles off of it. It wasn’t quite a book, as it didn’t have any real covers; it was just a stack of strange shiny paper, all bound together. Min took it back to her seat and began to flip through it. The Rusty people pictured inside were predictably fat and grotesque. It was like the Smokies had hoarded all of these to make themselves feel better about their miserable lives. Disgusting. She continued turning the pages, while listening to her officers exchange intelligence and tap away at their workscreens.

Minerva looked up when she heard footsteps nearing: one of her officers, and a disheveled girl with wild hair and rumpled clothes, who looked like she had just rolled out of bed. “Ah, Tally.” Minerva smiled. “Nice to see you. Sit down.” Tally obliged her, and pulled out the neighboring chair. Min quickly searched for Tally on her workscreen among the list of captured runaways, and was very shocked at where Tally was listed, indeed.

Strangely, the heart pendant was not hanging around Tally’s neck, either, and she had two halves of a cut set of handcuffs on each wrist. But rather than jump to conclusions and interrogate Tally about it directly, Min decided that she should find out what had happened in a more subtle way. “Goodness. Look at you,” Minerva said. “For someone who wants to be a pretty, you’re always such a sight.”

“I’ve had a rough morning.”

“You seem to have been in a scrape.”

Tally shrugged. “I was just trying to get out of the way.”

“Indeed.” Min closed the paper booklet and slapped it back down on the table; she was done with it and focused on Tally, now. “That’s something you don’t seem to be very good at.”

Tally coughed twice, quite harshly. “I guess not,” she said in a raspy voice.

Minerva looked again at Tally’s entry on her workscreen. “I see we had you among the resistors?”

“Some of the Smokies already suspected me. So when I heard you guys coming, I tried to get out of town. I didn’t want to be around when everyone realized what was happening. In case they got mad at me.”

Plausible enough, Min thought, and strangely intelligent, if that were really the case. “Self-preservation. Well, at least you’re good at something.”

“I didn’t ask to come here.”

“No, and you took your time, too.” Minerva leaned back in her chair and folded her hands. “How long have you been here exactly?”

Tally coughed nastily again, hesitating. “Not that long.”

“You didn’t get here as quickly as I’d hoped.”

“I almost didn’t make it all. And when I did, it was ages after my birthday. That’s why they suspected me.”

Minerva could tell that this wasn’t the whole story. It was time to put Tally on the spot, with something she’d really struggle with. Min shook her head. “I suppose I should have been worried about you, out in the wild all alone. Poor Tally.”

“Thanks for your concern,” Tally said, voice flat with sarcasm.

Minerva quit playing around. “I’m sure you would have used the pendant if you’d gotten into any real trouble. Self-preservation being your one skill.”

Tally sneered. “Unless I’d fallen off a cliff. Which almost happened.”

“We still would have come for you. If the pendant had been damaged, it would have sent a signal automatically.”

Perfect. Tally was obviously disturbed by these words; she gripped the edge of the table tightly, and Min could tell she was forcing her facial muscles to stay in an emotionless mask, although she wasn’t nearly as skilled at that as Min was. She narrowed her eyes at Tally. “Speaking of which, where is it?”

Tally reached up to her neck, touching the spot where the heart should have been, eyes darting, clearly spinning her next lie; an art at which she _was_ well-accomplished. “I hid it,” she said. “I was scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Last night, after I was sure this really was the Smoke, I activated the pendant. But they have this thing that detects bugs. The found the one on my board – the one you put there without telling me.”

Min smiled smugly, and spread her hands in a “what are you going to do about it?” gesture. Tally had no right to be angry about this. Why was she even surprised, considering the nature of the mission for which she had signed up?

“That almost blew the whole thing,” Tally continued. “So after I activated the pendant, I got scared they’d know a transmission had been sent. I hid it, in case they came looking.”

Tally was either really a fast thinker and creative liar, or it was a believable truth. Either way, the girl was smarter than Min had originally given her credit for. “I see. A certain amount of intelligence sometimes accompanies a strong sense of self-preservation. I’m glad you decided to help us.”

“Like I had a choice?”

“You always had a choice, Tally. But you made the right choice. You decided to come here and find your friend, to save her from a life of being ugly. You should be happy about that.”

“I’m thrilled,” Tally said, with that infuriating sarcasm again.

“So pugnacious, you uglies. Well, you’ll be growing up soon.” Minerva could not _wait_ to turn this troublemaker pretty and docile. But she needed to give her one last test, to determine whether or not her story really was the truth.

“There’s just one more thing you have to do for me, Tally. Do you mind getting the pendant from where you’ve hidden it? I don’t like to leave loose ends lying around.”

Tally smiled. “I’d be happy to.”

“This officer will accompany you.” Minerva beckoned at one of the Specials standing round, who immediately stepped up to duty. “And just to keep you safe from your Smokey friends, we’ll make it look like you’ve been a brave resistor.”

The officer yanked Tally’s arms back, and put a second set of handcuffs on her. Tally took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said flatly, and was promptly led out of the library. Minerva took a deep breath and picked up the Rusty booklet again, glad to be rid of that nuisance for a bit.

* * *

“Doctor, Doctor!” An officer came barreling towards her, knocking over empty chairs and bumping into people. “Tally Youngblood got away!” he panted.

“What the fuck?” Min snarled, more confused and annoyed than angry, at the moment. “What happened?”

“She led Agent Shanks onto the roof of some building, to get what you wanted. She said it was hidden there. Then she surprised him completely by knocking him off with a hoverboard that had been sitting up there, after tricking him into releasing her cuffs. We initiated pursuit immediately!”

Well, this certainly put a damper on things. Min knew that Tally was a clever one, but the girl was just full of more and more surprises, it turned out. Minerva thought that she had played her perfectly, but Tally had been only pretending that she was an ally during that short meeting, as Min had suspected as soon as she saw her listed among the resistors. Minerva growled and began scratching a dent in the table with her thumbnail. It would only be all the more sweeter once Tally was back in the city, all safe and prettified. Or maybe that would be a waste of her potential…

“What’s that?” asked a subcommander suddenly about fifteen minutes later, after listening to a crackling from his handphone. “Oh,” he sighed.

“We completely lost sighting on her, doctor,” he said solemnly. “Turns out, Tally was pretty maneuverable on that hoverboard, down there in the trees. Our pilots couldn’t chase her properly. Then, her heat signature just…disappeared. We found the board, though. Probably fell off, since she wasn’t wearing proper equipment. But there was no human in the vicinity.” He looked down. “I don’t think…we should waste any more of anyone’s time here,” he said softly. “Everyone’s ready to clear out. She’ll probably just…die all alone in the wilderness, if she hasn’t already.”

“Alright,” Min answered, in a deceivingly calm tone. “You know the drill. Carry out the mission as planned: burn the whole place down. I’m…. going for a walk, by myself. I’ll call with my coordinates when I’m ready to be picked up.” Min stood up from her chair and stormed out of the library.

She speed-walked to the edge of the Smoke, right into the thicket of woods on the edge of the valley it was in. There was already a bunch of stumps next to the clearing.

God, had she done the right thing.

Min tramped through the forest, twigs popping under her boots, her silk uniform even getting caught on branches and torn a couple times. She marched further and further uphill, fueled by her fury. Minerva took deep, slow breaths, but she was still shaking with a blinding rage. And then…there was no more uphill. She had reached top of the ridge. Min clambered to a still higher point, and surveyed Maddy and Az’s kingdom below her.

The first building had already been lit, then another went up in flames, and another… The Specials were weaving around whole scene, looking like little gray ants.

Minerva stood as still and stiff as a stone statue, boots planted firmly on the ground. The whole Smoke was ablaze now. The smell had finally wafted up to Min’s vantage point, smoke burning her nose and throat. But her eyes…that’s where the burning was the worst.

She had done it. She had finally done it.

So why did it feel like there was a hideous spear planted in her gut?

Maddy and Az were bound and imprisoned in the cargo hold, awaiting the cruel fate that Min had been planning for them. Tally had escaped, apparently having defected to Team Smoke for whatever reason, and David was still at-large.

There was still work to be done. This mission wasn’t over yet.


End file.
